"Friends with Kids": Oh the Joys...

Friends with Kids is a modern romantic comedy for a new age.  The film stars Adam Scott and writer/director Jennifer Westfeldt.  They play Jason and Julie, long time friends who serve as each other’s companions when their friends get together. 

The film begins at one such restaurant gathering.  The gang is annoyed with a couple at a nearby table that can’t seem to control their loud children.  The group makes a pact that they will never be that couple. Jump ahead 4 years and the couples have started families and are essentially becoming what they feared most.

Jason and Julie continue to remain friends but then decide to have a child together before age catches up.  They feel they can work out all of the logistics in a very civilized, 21st Century manner.  Of course their best-laid plans go awry as deep-seated feelings between them begin to surface.
 
There is a certain predictability to all of this but Westfeldt and the outstanding cast, including Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and especially Chris O'Dowd, really make it work.  The characters are all nicely developed and the actors fill them with a fair amount of depth and a lot of humor.  Westfeldt writes some strong, coarse, memorable dialogue here that never feels false.
 
I was a little concerned at first for how well I thought Westfeldt would be able to handle her role.  One might expect a Jennifer Aniston or Amy Adams to fill Julie’s shoes.  But Westfeldt eventually sinks her teeth into the part.  As leads, she and Scott create the right emotional tones to carry the film and allow for their characters to grow and change.  If I have an issue with the film it’s that as such good friends it is surprising how long it takes the two of them to really come to terms with their relationship and feelings.  Years go by in fact.  In the tradition of romantic comedies, this works and is
expected, but it doesn't come off as particularly realistic.
 
Still the film is a great representation of new modes of raising children.  Neither of the main characters is traditional in their general approaches to
life.  In fact, their bedside reading clearly implies that they are both freethinkers of the new millennium.  Of course, as progressive as they might believe they are, they also must face the realities of life that sometimes
can put a cramp on young ideals.
 
Opening this week, Friends with Kids is entertaining, funny, and offers a fresh take on adult life and decisions.  I give it a high recommendation.