Movie Review: Friends with Kids
Friends with Kids is a Bridesmaids reunion folks. This comedy/drama has its high points being more with the drama than the comedy. The measure for the comedy being, did I laugh out loud? Yes I did, not a loud laugh, but definitely an audible chuckle. As far as the drama goes…the measure being did I feel anything? Did I tear up? That would be a big yes, and another yes. The beauty of this movie is for anyone in a marital relationship to find it completely relatable. Silly concept when you think about it. How can anyone think that by having a child with your best friend whom you share a strictly platonic relationship, will avoid the inevitability of where most marriages tend to go after a few years, and a few kids, which is sadly in most cases, down the toilet. Or is it silly after all?
Six friends, get together in a Manhattan restaurant to drink, laugh and share the news of an upcoming first baby for married couple Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O’Dowd). The other married couple, Missy and Ben (Kristen Wiig) and (Jon Hamm), are madly in love, sneaking away to the bathroom for a little somethin, somethin. While the two unmarried friends, Julie and Jason (Jennifer Westfeldt) and (Adam Scott), look on with a slight bit of envy over their happily married group of comrades. Just a little FYI, writer, director, and actress Westfeldt has it all going on in this film.
Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt in “Friends with Kids.”
As time goes by, the friends meet again, post babies. As you might expect the reality of what children do to a marriage hits the still single friends very hard. This is where you will experience some dark comedy. As you might imagine, the scene goes something like this, children running around screaming and each spouse mad at the other for lack of support, your basic chaos. After leaving the gathering, single friends Julie and Jason share a drink and begin talking about the horrible changes that have occurred in their friends’ marriages. They start contemplating the idea of having a child together. They think it might just be a great way to have the benefit of the baby that they both want, and not the drudgery of being committed to someone that won’t pull their weight or has become unattractive. An interesting analogy on the cycle of marriage is provided here. Goes something like this, you get married the first time, having fallen head over heels in love and then that loving feeling leaves. You are left with dirty diapers, and an uninterested sexual partner. This is when most people get divorced and are allowed to find the real love of their life, with the added bonus of only having to deal with the kids half of the time, due to shared custody. They determine that their arrangement will avoid the whole first marriage and divorce thing, so they resolve to go forward with the plan, promising to be 100% committed to the child 50% of the time. Shortly after this, they share their big news with their friends. Mutually they all feel it is a bad idea and that it will never work out.
Julie and Jason have a beautiful baby boy and actually do unbelievably better than expected. They are organized, supportive, and about as close as two people can be without having the commitment of marriage to weigh them down. Jason is falling for the beautiful M.J. (Megan Fox), a dancer that is beyond gorgeous. Julie is trying to get back in the dating game, but can’t seem to get the same intimacy that she shares with Jason.
The friends plan a skiing trip together and share a dinner that is very memorable as well as a tear jerker. Without spoiling anything, Jason goes into defending their platonic parenting relationship in a gripping heartfelt moment that is a must see, Julie realizes that she is in love with him. Consequently, she plans a meeting where it will be only the two of them, she lets Jason know that he is her family, and she wants more. Jason is touched and mortified at the same time, because he doesn’t feel the same way. He has had problems committing to women, but feels M.J. is the real deal. Julie storms out, and decides to move to Brooklyn with baby Joey. Their relationship is now one of a divorced couple, visitation on the weekends, etc. Time goes by and Jason breaks up with M.J. and begins to miss Julie, his best friend. Another pivotal scene happens as he brings his son home to his mom. You won’t want to miss this either. Adam Scott as Jason does a phenomenal job here. Giving the meaning of what commitment, and true love really is. This is not only a great moment for the movie, but something for anyone in a relationship that has run past the madly in lust with you stage, and may be struggling with the prospect of, how do I stay in love with you. Be advised though, Friends with Benefits contains some nudity, sexually explicit, and language.
Betsy Cizek
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