Friends With Kids [HD]

Think: When Harry Met Sally (Had a Baby)
I never write reviews. But I felt the need to defend this one because it's REALLY REALLY GOOD. Jennifer Westfeldt is wonderful. Adam Scott too. The supporting cast manages to pull off rich, 3-dimensional characters with little screen time because all characters are well-drawn and well-cast.

Think "When Harry Met Sally." There is no fake orgasm scene, but you do drop in and out of these people's lives as they inch closer toward each other and further away. Toward the end, I half expected Billy Crystal to show up and say "I came here tonight because when you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

It might not be what people are used to in terms of a "romantic comedy" (or what passes for one today). Instead, it's engaging and true-to-life. I smiled more than I laughed, but I smiled a lot.

A Hollow & Depressing Worldview
I really tried to like this movie. It seemed to have the potential to win me over and I thought that in the last 5 minutes it was going to successfully warm my heart. As it turned out, the last 1 minute put such a rotten taste in my mouth that I wish that I could have those entire 108 minutes of my life back.

First off, I must disclaim that I am not a prude. I am a progressive man who understands that we live in modern times and I find validity in all sorts of relationship variants, family structure types, and believe that they all carry currency and have the potential to provide a meaningful, satisfactory life. With all that said, I must admit: this movie really disappointed me.

The entire premise of the film is superficial and the male main character, Jason (Adam Scott), is particularly irritatingly hollow. His world is viewed only through the lens of his sexual conquests. I found it totally uninteresting and certainly not worth the time spent on screen...

Wasted Talent in a Mediocre Film
Passed on this movie a few times on Prime, but finally gave it a go. Started out interesting, with a group of friends whose lives and relationships change once the married couples have kids. Two of the friends then come up with a "new" and "progressive" idea of having a kid together without the hassle of marriage. Sounds like something from "Will & Grace" with a straight guy.

Somewhere in the middle, the main female protagonist, played by Jennifer Westfeldt (also the writer/director) becomes needy, passive-aggressive and completely irrational. It's hard to root for a happy ending when all romance is killed by her irrational and sarcastic behavior, and by the characters constantly talking about married life killing romance.

Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph definitely don't get enough screen time. I would have rather watched them than the wishy-washy Jules throw a pity party for the last hour and ten minutes of the film. It would have been nice for the focus to have...

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