Review of Friends with Kids (2012) by Kaitlin L — 25 Mar 2013

"Friends with Kids" (2011) is a witty romantic comedy following best friends Jason and Julie, played by Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt respectively, as they conceive and raise a child platonically. Initially, their setup seems to be ideal because they don't have any of the normal problems that arise when having children. But when they meet their perfect matches, Mary Jane and Kurt, this perfect setup begins to fall apart and resemble the damaged relationships they were trying to avoid.

This film isn't your average romantic comedy. It adds a level of depth to it by showing us the full spectrum of relationships when kids are added. We see a happily married couple with minor problems, a miserable newlywed couple, a divorced man dating again, and a young woman who wants nothing to do with children. Then we also have the main characters, two friends in a platonic relationship with a baby trying to find their own perfect partner. The performances by the secondary characters are fantastic, but unfortunately, they also outshine one of the leads, Jennifer Westfeldt. Also, the flow of the plot seemed to be off, and the ending was not satisfying. I was entertained, but I won't be watching it a second time.

Extended Review (with minor spoilers).

The script is by far the best thing about this movie. It's well-written, funny and very real. But it does have a few flaws. First of all, the character Jason calls Julie "doll" way too much. I've never liked the word "doll" as a term of endearment, and he says it a lot, especially in the first ten minutes of the film. Also it didn't really make sense that Jason and Julie had sex to conceive their child. The comedy of that scene was great, but in today's world, they could've just had a pretty simple procedure instead.

The film also petered out at the end. It chose a very predictable ending where despite all odds the couple ends up together because their true love was right in front of them the whole time. For this film and for the progression of the story and characters, a nice and neat ending doesn't fit. We're supposed to believe that Jason and Julie are in love with each other and will continue to have happy future together. We know that Julie is in love with Jason. She comes to realize it first and even confesses it to him. But throughout the whole movie, Jason repeatedly comments on how he is not attracted to Julie on any level. The only time he shows the slightest bit of attraction is when they have sex for the first time. He only wants her at the end because she moved away with his son and started pushing him out of her life. Oh, and because he had a dirty dream about her, which is a first apparently and a big deal. It's not love, it's desperation. At first, Julie is strong and turns him away when he tries to get her to reconsider him. But when he returns, in what's meant to be a big romantic gesture, with a tearful speech about the romance of their journey, Julie starts to cave. In a final attempt to be smart, she questions his motives, pointing out that he's not attracted to her and this is probably an act of loneliness. Jason says he can prove he loves her through sex, begging for her to let him prove he's attracted to her physically. And she lets him! Then it ends with them starting to have sex. This ending makes Julie look weak, it makes Jason seem pathetic, and this new relationship is off to a terrible start.

The script's plot progression was also a little off. We spent too much time in the beginning of their journey, when everything was working out perfectly. Then we didn't spend enough time with the deterioration of their friendship and other relationships. Everything was summed up in a montage with short scenes spliced in, and it was just too much crammed into a small amount of time.

But what was most disappointing was the performance of writer and director Jennifer Westfeldt as Julie Keller. Her performance fell flat, especially with the great cast surrounding her. O'Dowd occasionally had problems with his American accent; sometimes certain pronunciations just sounded bizarre. But he still gave a great performance. Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm gave the best performances, and they were featured the least in the film. Of course, they had more dramatic storyline since they played the newlyweds with the failing marriage. Initially, I was skeptical about Adam Scott's leading man potential, but he pulled it off. Westfeldt was the weak link in this cast. Her performance was stilted and unnatural, and she seemed uncomfortable to be on screen. Westfeldt is a fantastic writer and director, but she was not a strong leading lady in this particular film.

So all in all, it was a decent comedy, but the ending and Westfeldt's performance brought about a lower rating.