I saw adverts for this rom-com, it was from the makers of Bridesmaids, I didn't realise it was a more independent film, but it didn't matter because it had a good cast of stars, many obviously returning from the successful film. Basically six friends are living their lives without responsibilities and enjoy it, but this changes when married couple Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O'Dowd) announce they are expecting a baby, and this follows with Ben (Jon Hamm) and Missy (Kristen Wiig) also announcing a pregnancy. With the kids taking over their lives it becomes hard for the friends to meet up, and the remaining two friends without children, Jason Fryman (Adam Scott) and Julie Keller (Jennifer Westfeldt, also writing and directing), have for years been best friends and live in the same New York apartment building. With their friends becoming parents they question whether this will happen to them as well, and whether they do want it to happen, so they decide to have a baby of their own, but continue a regular friendship allowed to see other people and have relationships. So they have sex together for the first time and eventually Julie gets pregnant, the months pass and they have their baby together, and the plan to be platonic seems to be going fine, while Ben and Missy's passion is fading a little with difficulties in parenting, becoming distant and resenting each other, and when they all get together the couple separate. Of course the relationship between Jason and Julie does become difficult, not because of the responsibilities, but because she is coming to realise that she is harbouring feelings for her friend, she does reveal this to him during dinner together, but he rejects this because he is already in love with someone else and wants to remain friends. She moves out of the apartment they share, and despite moving to Brooklyn they do continue to share the custody of their child, and later Jason breaks up with his girlfriend because of her view on children, she doesn't want to have any herself, and of course he realises he has gained feelings for Julie as well, so in the end he confesses to her, and they live happily together. Also starring Megan Fox as Mary Jane, Edward Burns as Kurt, Lee Bryant as Elaine Keller, Kelly Bishop as Marcy Fryman and Cotter Smith as Phil Fryman. Scott and Westfeldt do well in the parts of the couple that are best friends but obviously would develop feelings from having a kid together, and the supporting cast members, especially O'Dowd with a good American accent, are good choices as well, the script and direction by Westfeldt is witty and well-paced, obviously it is predicable most of the time, but it is funny and cheesy in a good way, a worthwhile romantic comedy. Good!
Review of Friends with Kids
