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Notes:
A story about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends' relationships and wonder if there's a better way. They decide to have a kid together - and date other people. There are big laughs and unexpected emotional truths as this unconventional 'experiment' leads everyone in the group to question the nature of friendship, family and, finally, true love.
Comedy - While this romantic comedy features four of the stars of the hit
Bridesmaids, they all have smaller upporting roles (especially
Kristen Wiig) as do other known faces like Megan Fox and Edward Burns,
and the real leads are the lesser known Adam Scott and Jennifer
Westfeldt. There is constant profanity and sex talk, which makes the
film inappropriate for kids.
Roger EbertFull Review Above Average 'Friends With Kids' is altogether too casual about parenthood, and that supplies a shaky foundation to a plot that's less about human nature and more about clever dialogue.
USA TodayFull Review Good It offers the rare combination of romance, humor, an inventive conceit and social relevance, without adhering slavishly to rom-com conventions.
Washington PostFull Review Average It's then that you realize that "Friends With Kids" works fine as filler (to quote a line from the movie), but it could have been something tougher, sweeter and so much more.
Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on
their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.
JASON and JULIE (Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt) are single thirtysomething
Manhattanites. They've been best friends since college, they live in the
same building, trust each other implicitly - and aren't remotely attracted to
each
other. As the film opens, they meet at a chic downtown restaurant for a dinner
with
their closest friends, two married couples: LESLIE and ALEX (Maya Rudolph and
Chris O' Dowd), funny and frank -- and BEN and MISSY (Jon Hamm and Kristen
Wiig), such a sexy pair that they are in fact having a quickie in the restaurant
bathroom when Julie and Jason arrive.
Jason notices the behavior of some unruly children being seated at the table
next to
them - and he and Julie riff on how inappropriate it is to bring kids to such a
sophisticated place. But their comic rant is cut short when Leslie suddenly
blurts out
that she's pregnant. Mortified, Julie and Jason turn on a dime and congratulate
their
friends wholeheartedly - and earnestly: it's the first of their close friends to
take the
plunge. Leslie and Alex reassure them that they would never bring their kids to
a
fancy restaurant - they're gonna be cool parents, and nothing is going to
change.
Fast forward to FOUR YEARS LATER - and everything has changed.
Leslie and Alex have two kids, Missy and Ben have a newborn - and Jason and
Julie, still single and childless, find themselves taking a long expensive cab
ride to
Alex and Leslie's apartment in Brooklyn - on Jason's birthday. They have brought
the wine, the food, the cake, Julie has brought the only birthday gift for Jason
- and
when they arrive, the mood is not remotely festive. Their friends are sniping at
each
other, harried and utterly consumed by the demands of parenting.
On their way home from what proves to be a funny, entirely chaotic and
thoroughly unsatisfying birthday celebration, Julie and Jason end up in a bar,
wondering what's happened to their friends - who now seem overwhelmed,
exhausted, angry, humorless - altogether unfamiliar.
