Review: Friends with Kids (2011)
Cast: Jennifer Westfeldt ,Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph
Director: Jennifer Westfeldt
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy
Official Trailer: Here
Comedy has been a hit or miss genre over the past few years. Finding one that just works is pretty rare. Primary reason? What’s considered funny these days differs greatly from person to person. A new contender trying to win audience approval is Friends with Kids. The film is the directorial debut of Jennifer Westfeldt, who takes triple-duty as both the writer of the film and the lead female role as well. She is accompanied by Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns. Yup, a pretty stellar cast, but let’s not get carried away just yet.
Friends with Kids reflects on the world of parenting and the impact a child can have on established relationships. Jason (Scott) and Julie (Westfeldt) watch their close friends starting families of their own. Over time, they begin to realize how distant their friends have become. They rarely hang out anymore, and when the rare opportunity does occur, they are always tired and miserable. Jason and Julie both want to have a kid at some point but without sacrificing the romance involved with a relationship. They decide that the two of them, staying friends, will have a child together whilst keeping the relationship platonic. This unconventional experiment, that takes off brilliantly, later forces each character to reflect on the meaning of family, friendship and true love as well as the individual decisions they have made.
Off the bat you notice the rather brilliant cast behind Friends with Kids. Adam Scott combines witty dialogue and confidence to bring out Jason’s social savviness, especially with the ladies.
Westfeldt’s directorial debut is based on her own experience with friends starting families and then disappearing off the radar. A pretty bold move to use a simple personal observation and then try to make a movie out of it. Off the bat you notice the rather brilliant cast behind Friends with Kids. Adam Scott combines witty dialogue and confidence to bring out Jason’s social savviness, especially with the ladies. Other cast members embrace their roles, bringing something different to their characters and providing the audience with truly refreshing performances. The one that stands out from the lot is Chris O’Dowd in his role as Alex. Not only is he able to portray the before and after of parenthood, he is able to showcase characteristics of being a friend, a father and a husband. O’Dowd definitely gives a fantastic performance. However, as great as the cast are, the film just doesn’t utilize their talent. Jon, Kristen and Maya barely have any on-screen time, and Kristen barely has any dialogue. As great as each actor performs, they don’t get a chance to build and enhance their on-screen chemistry. You can’t help but want to see more from each of the relationships. Additionally, Edward Burns and Megan Fox craft their characters well; however, each of their characters feels like they’re a part of the story just for the sake of it. All the characters come and go on screen between scenes without really adding much value to the overall story, which is slightly disappointing.
The story itself has great elements with very unique, bold dialogue that enhances each character individually in the film. However, some elements of the story are rather convoluted. Certain scenes are a little bit difficult to follow. The film has plenty of moments to share a good laugh and even get a chance to reflect on each character; however, the movie itself doesn’t capture and retain your attention. Apart from one scene where the mood does change quite a bit, the film struggles to keep the audience involved and the story flowing. Westfeldt has, however, done something really well: she has created very interesting characters, which allows the audience to step away from the story and really focus on what the character is doing, helping the viewer to overcome some of the flaws in the film.
The film has plenty of moments to share a good laugh and even get a chance to reflect on each character; however, the movie itself doesn’t capture and retain your attention.
The film does lack a few necessary elements that would have helped weave it together better. Westfeldt has also dared to approach the concept of parenthood with a rather unorthodox screenplay that some people would likely object to. With all that said, Westfeldt has definitely tried to bring something unique to the table; her distinct style of writing and charismatic attitude has definitely shone in her directorial debut. Friends with Kids is a good laugh that will definitely keep you entertained.
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