The romantic comedy genre has taken a real beating in recent years, leaving many to despair that they will ever find anything remotely romantic or comedic when they head to the theater to catch the latest romcom. Luckily, the uber-talented Jennifer Westfeldt has written and directed Friends with Kids, a movie that will completely restore your faith in the genre.
This is one of those movies that you must go into spoiler-free, because the enjoyment lies in watching how everything unfolds. So here is the basic setup: Julie (Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott, in his first leading-man role that leaves you begging to know WHY he isn't the lead all the time) are best friends who are not romantically interested in each other. They are living the single life in Manhattan with a group of friends, played by Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Kristen Wiig, and Jon Hamm, the greatest cast you could ask for. However, as they head into their thirties, their friends start having kids, move to Brooklyn, and seem increasingly distracted and overwhelmed by parenthood. Julia and Jason want kids, but they don't want to end up like their harried married friends. So they decide their best option is to have a kid together and share custody as they search elsewhere for their romantic partners.
All romcoms must begin with a screwy premise, but this one is executed with panache. And with that all-star cast, you can bet it is also executed with a ton of profane and hysterical jokes. The movie follows Julie and Jason after they have their kid and start up new relationships (enter Edward Burns and Megan Fox), and also explores the fate of their couple friends who are dealing with the ceaseless demands of parenthood. This isn't just light-hearted fare: there are some harsh moments and heartbreaks in the midst of the hilarity, which is why this is a movie that is meant for adults, instead of the insufferable tweens that most romcoms seem to be geared towards nowadays.
One final note. This movie might just have the best last line I've heard in a long time. A line that fully earns the movie's R-rating and keeps it out of the dangerously schmaltzy ground of a standard romantic comedy. So now that you have that to look forward to, go forth and buy your tickets. You will NOT be disappointed.
This is one of those movies that you must go into spoiler-free, because the enjoyment lies in watching how everything unfolds. So here is the basic setup: Julie (Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott, in his first leading-man role that leaves you begging to know WHY he isn't the lead all the time) are best friends who are not romantically interested in each other. They are living the single life in Manhattan with a group of friends, played by Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd, Kristen Wiig, and Jon Hamm, the greatest cast you could ask for. However, as they head into their thirties, their friends start having kids, move to Brooklyn, and seem increasingly distracted and overwhelmed by parenthood. Julia and Jason want kids, but they don't want to end up like their harried married friends. So they decide their best option is to have a kid together and share custody as they search elsewhere for their romantic partners.
All romcoms must begin with a screwy premise, but this one is executed with panache. And with that all-star cast, you can bet it is also executed with a ton of profane and hysterical jokes. The movie follows Julie and Jason after they have their kid and start up new relationships (enter Edward Burns and Megan Fox), and also explores the fate of their couple friends who are dealing with the ceaseless demands of parenthood. This isn't just light-hearted fare: there are some harsh moments and heartbreaks in the midst of the hilarity, which is why this is a movie that is meant for adults, instead of the insufferable tweens that most romcoms seem to be geared towards nowadays.
One final note. This movie might just have the best last line I've heard in a long time. A line that fully earns the movie's R-rating and keeps it out of the dangerously schmaltzy ground of a standard romantic comedy. So now that you have that to look forward to, go forth and buy your tickets. You will NOT be disappointed.
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| Voila: one of the greatest casts assembled in recent movie history |
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