Friends with Kids (2011) User Reviews (121)

Decent attempt but falls short

[pranay-mehrotra23 · 7/10 · 5 October 2012]

There isn't a plot really, the story is really predictable, even though it's different. But in fact, I did not really lose interest and rather felt my time passed by pretty well. The supporting stuff have given some wonderful performances, Edward Burns as the perfect man/potential-husband, and Megan Fox as the perfect girlfriend. But the lead pair could have done better.

One thing that is horrible about the movie is the ending. One of the most horrible endings there could have been, the director tries to be unconventional but fails miserably. MISERABLY. If only the scene went differently I would actually be recommending this movie to those tired of old stuff.

A new genre, the anti-romantic comedy. Funny, and a frank antidote to romance

[smacarte · 6/10 · 15 March 2012]

Pickings are slim for grown-up movies and that's what this is. So bought my ticket and was not disappointed. It's a movie for grown-ups, sharp and funny. The thing is, there's barely a whisper of romance or spark of chemistry in the whole set-up. Much focus is on women's bodies, their breasts, their pelvic muscles, their kegel exercises. This kind of frankness is extended to the marital experience of the shared bathroom, frustration of shared chores, mom's post-pregnancy body and baby poo. Funny? Actually, yes. Light or romantic, not for a moment.

The story didn't head in the direction I expected, given the title. It's not a sly comedy or satire of parenthood or how the experience changes a person or a couple. It's more like a story of Friends with Benefits. But the cast is great and it's not formulaic. On the whole, worthwhile. A number of scenes are quite good.

So good until the final fifteen minutes falls into RomCom cliché hell.

[DJRMewzique · 7/10 · 10 March 2012]

"Friends With Kids" starts off as a wonderfully entertaining, very funny and truly smart film about two close friends who do the unconventional and decide to have a baby together...as friends. Unfortunately what starts off as a great, strong, original comedy soon downward spirals into the unfortunate abyss of RomCom hell.

What sparks this decision? The fact that they watched their four closest friends, two couples, go through relationship hell due to the onset of...children. The couple who used to have sex in bathrooms hardly talk to each other and the happy-go-lucky couple do nothing but bicker.

So Julie and Jason figure they might as well have a kid together, skipping the affect this has on a relationship, as they can simply continue to date others. In other words, they skipped marriage and went right to the divorce.

Jennifer Westfeldt plays Julie but also wrote and directed this film. You might recognize her from the fantastic-but-short-lived comedy "Notes from the Underbelly" or the eighth season of "24," but she also wrote the excellent film "Kissing Jessica Stein," this film somewhat proving that "Stein" was not a fluke.

Westfeldt could be a comedic force to be reckoned with. If she avoids any further Hollywood trappings.

FWK, as mentioned, does start off in an excellent fashion. An honest, funny, harsh, crude look at child rearing for Gen Y. And even though it has been getting some criticisms for making it look like children will ruin any relationship, that is not the point Westfeldt was trying to make in some sort of blanket statement. She was looking at just a specific group of friends, and what a great bunch they are! "Parks and Recreation" star Adam Scott takes the lead as Jason, Julie's platonic baby daddy. SNL-alum and "Bridesmaids" star Maya Rudolph is the highly stressed and easily irritated Leslie while "Bridesmaids"'s Chris O'Dowd plays her slacker husband. As for the other couple, it is just unfortunate they didn't get more screen time, both having been slightly under-utilized: the magnificent Kirsten Wiig (SNL) and Jon Hamm (Mad Men) as the once-over-sexed-and-now-over-drinking couple who are unravelling, both also having starred in that little film called...."Bridesmaids." Jon Hamm also has the distinction of being Jennifer Westfeldt's husband....in real life.

Sadly, what starts off as a hilarious and irreverent comedy about love, marriage and babies, culminating in a wonderfully executed stand-off between friends at a cabin in Vermont, suddenly takes an all-too familiar and completely unnecessary clichéd Hollywood turn as (SPOLIER ALERT!) what was once platonic suddenly changes to something not so platonic, completely ruining the wonderful flow of an otherwise excellent comedy.

If Westfeldt had only kept friends as friends, this may have been a far more memorable and original film, but she inexplicably decided to make one wrong turn, leaving this film with an ending equal to that of a huge stack of useless RomComs. An utterly disappointing predictable end to a film that was, up until the last fifteen minutes, a truly great comedy of higher-than-usual standard.

Friends with Kids — Thinking about doing things differently, but not too much

[AvidClimber · 6/10 · 16 March 2013]

Friends with Kids is about choosing an alternative lifestyle while conforming with society. It doesn't work. The premise of the movie is a great idea, and the story has a funny drama-like feel to it which is entertaining.

However, the scenario takes a dive after the ski weekend, because we go right back to the pre-chewed romantic drivel that most Hollywood chick flick try to sell us. The very end particularly could have come from any brainwashed hack of a writer. Very disappointing.

If they could have come up with a good third act, it would have been an amazing movie because the cast is outrageous, the dialogs are good, and the film is well put together.

Has a nice snappy energy to it, but the characters are hard to like, the plot too obvious and the laughs too infrequent

[bob the moo · 25 August 2012]

This was my girlfriend's choice of film but, while not a film I would have chosen, I didn't mind seeing it due to the long list of likable names in the cast. The plot opens with an "anti-couple" couple who talk intimately and openly as a longterm couple would, but do so without any connection and while pursuing other relationships. When all their friends start having children, Julie decides she also wants one but without all the damage it does to the relationship – so she decided to have a kid with Jason, so that there is no relationship to go sour. The rest of the film pretty much goes where you know it will.

The best thing to say about the film is that it does have a real pace to its dialogue and I liked some of the snappy delivery and tone of it, some of it being funny but just generally it had a good rhythm to it. This, I liked. Problem is that the rest of the film really doesn't do much that works particularly well. For me it wasn't "bad" just weak, but this was because I didn't hate the characters quit as much as I can imagine that some will. They are hard to like and it doesn't help that the plot is built around a device that requires them to be narcissistic, selfish and spoilt for the vast majority of the running time. They have some changes in their characters late in the game (the changes you know the anti-couple will have from the moment the first scene finishes) but by the time these changes occur, you've probably given up caring about these spoilt unlikeable people.

The cast keep that at bay for a while – although I was a bit behind from the start because I found both Scott and Westfeldt to be the least of the cast – a problem considering they are the leads. Hamm, Wiig, Rudolph have the charisma to carry some of the busier scenes but I have no idea why they had O'Dowd doing an American accent that is terrible (when he keeps it up long enough to notice). Fox, Burns and a few others add starry names but not too much else.

Friend with Kids has some energy to it and at times the snap of the dialogue is entertaining but the film can never get away from its main problem which is that the core plot and characters are both predictable and hard to like. These two things combine to limit how interested the viewer is in the film and with fewer laughs than there should be, there isn't much beyond the famous faces and snappy delivery to hold the interest.

Funny and poignant.

[Troy_Campbell · 7/10 · 13 June 2012]

It doesn't surprise me that this low-key dramedy has flown under the cinematic radar. Its parental premise – that having children changes your life and the relationship with your partner, not always for the best – isn't the sort of material that gets noticed by a lot of the movie-going public. It's a shame though as FWK garners more laughs than a large chunk of the so-called comedies that grace (I use the term loosely) our multiplexes. Writer-director Jennifer Westfeldt is uncannily accurate in her presentation of family life – good times and bad in equal measure – which not only generates the funny-because-it's-true humour but also lends a poignancy to the proceedings that makes the predictable finale easier to swallow. As the central duo, Westfeldt (obviously multi-talented) and Adam Scott share a natural chemistry and are thankfully well-rounded, but Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd steal the show as their kiddie-focused best mates who are both relatable and downright hilarious.

Decent Movie, Sitcom Style

[evanston_dad · 6/10 · 1 July 2013]

Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott play best friends who both want kids but not all the crap that comes with marriage and decide to have a baby with no relationship strings attached. This movie belongs to the long tradition of films that feel like two or three seasons of a diverting sitcom compressed into a two-hour running time. So it's probably no spoiler to reveal that Westfeldt and Scott realize that they've been fooling themselves all along, are meant for each other, and decide to commit to each other and their baby.

The ending feels completely wrong and forced for many reasons, not the least of which is that Westfeldt and Scott have no chemistry together. I happen to really like Westfeldt, but I can completely see why her neurotic screen persona would drive other people crazy. This was the first thing of any consequence I'd ever seen Scott in, and there's something just flat out unlikable about him as an actor and his character that left a huge hurdle for me to get over. But beyond that, the movie isn't half bad, and it's refreshing for once to see a movie about relationships with children actually feature the children. Kids are in this movie all the time, and it's a far more realistic portrayal of what it's actually like to be a parent than the films in which kids are always off screen and completely silent.

The group of actors that play the main couple's friends includes the likes of Jon Hamm, Mya Rudolph, and most notably, Kristen Wiig, who is saddled with perhaps the most thankless role given to any actor in recent years, who has virtually nothing funny to do despite her tremendous gifts as a comedienne, and who yet managed to captivate me in every scene she appeared in. Could she have dramatic gifts as an actress that haven't yet been tapped?

Grade: B

Good movie until the end scene

[hockeyfan-88926 · 7/10 · 10 March 2021]

Fun movie to watch until the end scene. You know what's going to happen the whole movie and it is a feel good but the language at the end leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Not great at all

[pij_ruleroftheworld · 4/10 · 13 July 2012]

*WARNING!! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* I just couldn't buy into this film at all. I really wanted to enjoy it because I like Adam Scott and I'm one of Chris O'Dowd's biggest fans. However, the script is weak and it all ends rather suddenly. I knew where it was going after about 20 minutes and I wasn't wrong.

Despite liking Adam Scott as an actor, I really didn't like his character. There was something about him which made me want to punch him in the face. Jennifer Westfeldt is average in it and I had no urge at any point to punch her. The comedic talents of Chris O'Dowd are wasted which is a shame because he could have brought a lot more to the film. The same goes for Kristen Wiig; we never get to see her at her hilarious best. Megan Fox is beautiful as ever but rather irritating.

The plot is thin and just lacked realism. It was also far too predictable and I spent most of the time guessing (usually correctly) what was about to happen.

All in all, this film is poor but it could have been so much better if the actors had been put to better use.

As I was watching this...

[themusgrat · 7/10 · 4 October 2012]

I was already thinking of how I'd review it, if I was going to. Maybe that speaks to its inefficiency, but maybe it just means there was room in the film for me to think rather than watch mindlessly. I give this a 7, because it's purely enjoyable, but it's not perfect. As far as films go, it could have been better.

However, I'm not sure if it being a better film would really improve what it was saying, because that was rather clear. And it's not some anti- marriage sentiment, it's actually rather warming. I enjoyed the movie, and rather than go through it piece by piece, I'll just let that be enough. It was enjoyable. It had something worth saying. If you need a serious movie, then no. If you want to watch a flick, good movie for it.

Creepy

[westiecrossing · 1/10 · 1 December 2012]

Comedies are supposed to be funny. Not a laugh in this one. The scene with the friends trying to have sex is downright creepy. Why watch this? It's neither amusing, funny, sexy, warm hearted or revealing of anything humanly real other than someone trying oh so hard to be provocatively clever. Innately funny and talented actors wasted in scenes which are cringing in their phoniness. I'm forty, but can't remember a time in my young adulthood when I or my friends were so obsessed with making crude, juvenile wise cracks about sex every time we met for dinner or spoke on the phone. Is this supposed to be a pander to young audiences, as if young people are really that shallow and that easily entertained? I forced myself to watch this rank mediocrity to the end, curious to see just how bad it could get. It didn't disappoint me.

Hitting the nail on the head - for me anyway

[obijazz · 9/10 · 23 December 2012]

As with any film, we bring to it as much as we take away, so I'm guessing this is why I thought Friends with Kids was a beautifully written and executed tale of modern love, friendship and family, whereas many people (it seems), thought otherwise. To set the scene of my particular disposition, I'm in my late 30's, female, I don't want children, have many friends with them and see only stress and unhappiness when I'm around them. So the opening 45 minutes was pretty must grist to my particular mill. And then, three lovely moments were subtly conveyed in the remainder of the film, there were no fanfares, or big shiny signposts, which made it all the better. I'm not going to say what they are, dare you to find them for yourselves. All I can say is, for me, the film got love just right and actually made me slightly (very very slightly) broody. This is the kind of film which I think is rarely done well, and whilst there's always room for Sci-fi, thriller and horror (in my world at least), a well observed, funny and moving commentary on the human state that you can relate to is what I think filmmakers should be most proud to do. It makes you think, it makes you feel part of something more.

Westfeldt's observant eye captures a true depiction of Friends (some with kids)

[twilliams76 · 6/10 · 20 January 2012]

I did NOT dislike Friends With Kids but I did not love it either. It is a finely-made/put-together film but I'll stress that there isn't anything overly special here (other than the cast). The most notable thing about it is that it (almost) features the entire (already-mentioned) cast of Bridesmaids! Equally comedic and dramatic, this is the latest writing effort from Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein, Ira & Abby ... and the longtime girlfriend of John Hamm) who decides to step behind the camera for the first-time with this one. Westfeldt also takes the lead female role and she is "okay" although I think it is fair to say she is a better filmMAKER than actress (I would have preferred seeing Maya Rudolph in the role).

The film brings to the surface the question of what happens to friends when their other long-time friends begin having children -- it is a MOST valid question as any of those friends "left behind" can attest to. People seem to seek-out people of similar tastes and interests. Once a child is born the child -- for good reason -- becomes the primary interest/focus of their lives ... although the childless are most often sacrificed for not having that NEW one common-bond any longer.

This film observes and ponders this "predicament" when two of its central characters decide to have a child together after witnessing what their childless existence has done to their relationship with their best friends. What is different with this scenario is that this pair are best-of-friends and they do not intend on staying together as lovers/parents. They just know their friend would make for an ideal "other" parent. Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein, "Notes from the Underbelly") and Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation", The Aviator, Leap Year) play the adults believably -- their questions and concerns of what they are and/or are not doing are common and never unbelievable.

Their friends all come from relationships of varying degrees of happiness and success -- Kristen Wiig ("SNL", Bridesmaids, Whip It), Jon Hamm (Bridesmaids, "Mad Men", The Town), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, "SNL", MacGruber), Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids, Pirate Radio) and the non-Bridesmaids-actors such as the surprisingly-decent Megan Fox (Transformers, Jennifer's Body, Jonah Hex) and Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen, Saving Private Ryan, 27 Dresses) -- which stir-up even more questions of what a relationship is supposed to be.

There is nothing wrong with Friends with Kids ... it is just rather forgettable and not that memorable (I'm "just saying" that a few months down-the-road this film will not be easily recalled -- NOT disliked, just not clearly remembered is all). Hamm plays "jerk" nicely, Fox doesn't embarrass herself and everyone else gives a reliable/dependable performance although I would have preferred (as mentioned) Westfeldt and Rudolph switching roles.

I did have problems with the film's conclusion; but I won't get into it here as I don't want anything to be spoiled. This is a film about friends, friends and friends and it most-oftentimes succeeds at what it is wanting to say. Some critics might say it glosses over the pressures of parenthood and what it takes/means to be one; but I don't think that is the case when we see movies from Adam Sandler (etc) tackle the same theme with nary a complaint. There are some honest depictions here and Westfeldt knows what she is wanting to say ... it is just that the audience might not pick-up everything that she is wanting to say.

bad writing

[ramblr78 · 3/10 · 17 August 2012]

the actors were fine, but as the featured reviewer pointed out the story was just bad, didn't anyone tell Jennifer Westfeldt that no one cares about spoiled over privileged Manhattanites anymore, just arrogant idiots who think they are the reason why the world turns and that everyone looks up to them. the two main characters were so badly developed that there was no connection between them and the audience, basically a spoiled guy, who has a nice job and rich parents, who is friends with a spoiled girl, who decide rather spontaneously to have a baby together yet still date other people. when the (surprise) relationship doesn't work out the way that they expect, then the two separate and try to find happiness on their own terms, but alas discover that they can't live without each other so in the end they reunite as a traditional husband and wife couple. When a romantic comedy ends with the actresses last line being "I want you to fu*k the sh*t out of me" well, you know what kind of conclusion to make. I really can't be bothered to write a better review because the film just doesn't merit any more of my time to be wasted thinking about this trite filth.

Good film with limited buzz

[Floated2 · 7/10 · 26 December 2011]

Friends with Kids is a decent enough film for what its purpose was meant to be. I realize the film didn't have a theatre release, as it was an independent film made for the sake of it. Granted with that, it is no "oscar" film like another IMDb user review suggest. Their opinion but truthfully the film would had needed more to be in the Oscar discussion. Though it was a nice surprise I guess. And the film isn't for everyone. Many people will consider the main theme of the film to be unethical and awkward on some sense. Main theme is: two lifelong friends (Adam Scott & Jennifer Westfeldt) decide they both want a child so they have one without the relationship.

The film is cast, Adam Scott is great and doesn't get the attention or praise he deserves while Jennifer Westfieldt also deliver (she wrote, directed the film) so it was no surprise seeing her film character being the most likable. In addition to Westfeldt and Scott's charming work, Friends With Kids boasts appearances by Jon Hamm, Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Chris O'Dowd as the pair's best friends. Also includes Megan Fox as Adam's Scott love-interest/girlfriend and Edward Burn as Jennifer Westfieldt' love interest. The highlight of the film was a dinner party scene that grows ugly. From there things turn and goes different. Scenes with the kids were the worst.

One thing about the film is that it feels more like a television sitcom. Im sure many sitcoms have done similar episodes like Friends in Kids plot just with a smaller time frame. Also the film switches between comedy to drama a lot but mostly is more dramatic than comedic. The comedy comes from the dialogue and relationship between the characters. Mostly from john Hamm in my opinion as he steals the movie. Though him and Kristen Wiig have little scenes! Another thing I disliked about the film is the ending (about the last 15 minutes) It just goes in and focuses on the leads and completely gets rid of the supporting cast with nothing left. They don't mention them again. The actual ending could have done much better as it left me thinking awkwardly and I felt a little disappointed. Yes, it was predictable from the start but had they went another route, this film could have surprised far more people and would have been overall better.

Anyways it was a still nice directing debut from Jennifer Westfieldt, and Id still recommend people to watch the film.

No BFF here with this movie, but good enough to be acquainted with it. I am not kidding!

[meeza · 7/10 · 12 August 2012]

We all have them, "kids". O wait, no we don't. But we definitely all have "Friends with Kids". So why not develop a movie on how it is to have friends with kids? Innovative? MMM, not so much. Disastrous? I would not go that far. Writer-Director Jennifer Westfeldt's brainchild cinematic creation "Friends with Kids" does have some witty moments, but then it falls into the trap of providing a formulaic romantic-comedy finale. The movie stars Westfeldt and Adam Scott as Julie and Jason, longtime best friends who surround themselves with married friends that have (are you ready for this) KIDS!; what do you know! Julie and Jason decide to want an offspring of their own, but with no romantic strings attached. So they hit the hay, and get it made. Their "strings attached" married friends think what they are doing is ludicrous, and that it will turn out to be a nightmare for them. But it actually turns out to work after all for Julie and Jason that is until the heartstrings start playing with Julie's affection towards Jason. Westfeldt does a credible job with the whole balance of the interlocking themes of marriage, friendship, and kids in the picture. And for the most part, Jennifer does inseminate a trendy-like screenplay to "Friends with Kids". But then "out of Westfeldt", she pains the movie with a very predictable ending. Westfeldt's acting as Julie was solid, but it was Adam Scott that really gave this friendly picture its biggest asset with his scene- stealing performance as Jason. Scott is consistently turning out standout performances in the last few years. The supporting cast of "Friends with Kids" is comprised of recognizable actors who are all formidable, but it seemed as if they were primarily doing the movie more to hang out with thespian friends with kids or no kids, than for the work itself. Jon Hamm (Westfield's real life partner) and Kristen Wiig portray Ben & Missy, who go from a nymphomaniac married couple to a bickering one after the kids come in the picture. Chris O'Dowd and Maya Rudolph play Leslie and Alex, another married couple that go from loving moments to stressful ones after they have their little ones. Edward Burns and Megan Fox also drop in on the "Friends with Kids" as lovers of Julie and Jason, respectively that is; whatever that means. "Friends with Kids" is not a kiddy rom-com picture that should be totally ignored, but I would not go out of my way to take my friends or my kids (wherever they are, kidding) to give it a view. *** Average

Great cast, good idea

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 22 October 2012]

Of course similar themed movies have been made, but this tries to stay as real as possible. The two main characters are amazingly played and written. You may feel that the movie loses a bit of its drive at some point or another, but it never feels like the actors are not being at their A-game at any time. Dialog is really crucial too and it really works fine. Humor is a bit rude (the ending especially is, let's call it a new twist, on what you expect to happen all along), but it works, if you're not offended by it.

For the movie to work, you have to be believable on some aspects. It's those aspects that let the movie almost drift into cliché territory. But it's only an almost slip, because it never completely happens. Still those scenes, without which a movie like this does not seem to be working have to be made. It's up to you, to decide if you're up for the "morality" of the tale ...

Tries hard and succeeds more than it fails

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 5 July 2012]

Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott) are best friends. Their small circle of friends is two other couples, Leslie and Alex (Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd) who are happy to slip into parenthood and early middle age, and Ben and Missy (John Hamm and Kristen Wiig) who are at it like rabbits and less happy about parenthood, but still embrace it. As time goes on both Julie and Jason realise they want children, but neither wants the time constraints of finding a partner (and Jason enjoys being fairly promiscuous) so, based on the strength of their friendship, they decide to have a child together despite not fancying each other, and then co-parent. This plan turns out to work fairly well to the amazement of their friends. But the path of romcoms never run smooth...

Jennifer Westfeldt (a lady who I had never heard of) writes, directs, and stars, together with a batch of people who were in Bridesmaids. This film is not Bridesmaids, but it does try quite hard. I didn't like most of what made the young female members of the audience laugh (the sexually explicit crude humour), I didn't like the bad language (much of which was, as usual, entirely unnecessary, and I particularly didn't like the film's payoff line about effing the ess out of me) but I liked much of the more gentle humour about relationships and the impact of children.

Moving on from preferences, I think a broader weakness is that the two main characters remain fairly unsympathetic for much of the movie, although I warmed to them by the end. On the other hand, there is a terrific dark and humourless scene at the two-thirds mark involving Hamm and Scott in particular, but with excellent and understated contributions from Wiig and Megan Fox.

By the time this film made its way to its predictable and unlikely conclusion, it had pleased me more than it had irritated me, but only by a small margin.

Boring, predictable, and with main characters you'll hate

[sinisterene · 1/10 · 15 July 2012]

Funny moments are sparse, while opportunities for the director/screenwriter to remind you that the leads are better liberals than you (regardless of your political persuasion) are bountiful (and exist for no apparent reason).

All in all, the plot was boring, the ending predictable and the supporting actors used (Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig) had their talents wasted on a trivial plot that barely manages to make anyone laugh or care.

The only real spoiler for this movie is that it's neither funny nor good.

Story went pretty well where we thought it would, but is reasonably entertaining most of the time.

[TxMike · 15 August 2012]

This was something of a vanity project for Jennifer Westfeldt who wrote and directed and starred in it. Makes those close-ups of herself a bit weird. I had a bit of discomfort all the way through with her looks, which seem to be reasonably attractive. Then I realized why, she looks almost exactly like the most recent former president, George Bush. Especially the nose and mouth. You think I'm crazy, 'google' a photo of Bush and see what I mean.

Anyway the movie is about a group of 30-somethings who are all friends, but two of them are still single without children, while the others are all couples with children. Westfeldt is Julie Keller and her best friend from youth is Adam Scott as Jason Fryman. They live on different floors of the same residential building. They talk often, share their love lives, but are "just friends." It is pretty easy to figure where this is headed eventually.

So when Julie begins to wonder if she will ever find "Mr Right" to start a family, Jason has the bright idea, why don't the two of them just "do it" and have a child, both agreeing to "be there 100% for half of the time." The boy is born, they share paternal duties, while each continues to date other people. But their friends are amazed at how well everything is going.

Other friends are Jon Hamm as Ben , Kristen Wiig as Missy, Maya Rudolph as Leslie , Chris O'Dowd as Alex. Eventually gorgeous Megan Fox enters the cast as Mary Jane who Jason begins dating.

But my favorite was Kelly Bishop as Marcy Fryman , not because her part was large (it wasn't) or that she did a great job (she didn't), but she was one of the original cast of "A Chorus Line" all those years ago and it is always nice when she pops up in a role.

SPOILERS: Things go from carefree to dramatic when Julie confesses to Jason that she is totally and helplessly in love with him, no one else can compare, but he says he doesn't love her like that. But soon he realizes that he does, but when he tries to patch it up she seems hurt beyond repair. However eventually best friends who are parents also become partners for life. Love wins again!

Realistic but not very funny.

[BobDole1996 · 6/10 · 5 March 2012]

By looking at the cast right away you would think.... OMG I loved Bridesmaids. Well it's nothing like bridesmaids. Basically if you were, like me, married with children you would realize that this movie doesn't take you away from your somewhat boring lifestyle. It just reminds you that your life basically sucks and most likely you are with your husband or wife because of the kids and the kids are the only relationship you guys basically have together. If you are looking for a realistic movie of what it would be like if you up and had a child with your best friend, then this movie is for you. Looking for a laugh then go watch something else because it has its moments but extremely weak.

AND Megan Fox isn't that great in this either.

This "romantic comedy" is neither.

[Jababbitt · 3/10 · 6 May 2014]

Little to redeem this completely unfunny attempt to define romance or commitment for the "hook-up" generation. Imagine the closing scene in Jerry Maguire and replace the lines "You complete me" or "You had me at Hello" with "F**k the sh*t out of me". Really. This is what passes for romance these days I guess. I have kids, I've watched marriages fail. I was ready to see the pain and humor in the challenges of keeping the passion alive while changing diapers. But this lazy, self-absorbed movie never gets past superficial, cynical character development. The writers' and director's guiding question seems to be "How do you make a marriage feel more like a one-night stand?" This so-called "romantic comedy" was neither.

Stays true to its genre name

[StevePulaski · 8/10 · 18 July 2012]

In 2011, we were faced with two films asking whether or not it was possible for two people to casually have sex and unintentionally fall in love with one another. In 2012, we are presented with, from what I can see, one film that asks a more debatable and better question; is it possible for two people that are vaguely attracted to one another to have a baby, and while raising it, make efforts to meet and see other people? I'll be completely honest and say I could not and would not ever want to do this, although the idea, when put on the table, immediately sparked my interest. Not only does the idea of having kids disinterest me completely at this point in time, but I find that plan sort of selfish and unfair on both the parents and the child. If the parents seek out relationships with other people, the inevitability of it all will be that one or both of the parents will become so caught up in the new relationship that they will dump the baby on the other person. And unfair for the child, because every baby deserves a prominent mom and dad figure in their life.

Friends With Kids asks this question, using two couples and two very close friends as the subjects. The two friends are Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt, who serves as the writer, one of the six producers, and director), who have been the kind of people who are truly meant for each other, but neither one will wake up and realize it. Their friends are the collective Alex and Leslie (Chris O'Dowd and Maya Rudolph) and the intimate sex-hounds Ben and Missy (Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig, all four are Bridesmaids alumni). The film opens with them childless, happy, and even more ecstatic once Leslie announces that she will be having a baby at dinner at a luxurious New York restaurant.

Four years later, the two couples have children and their marriages lack the intimacy and cheeriness they once bubbled with. The only two that still seem remotely happy are Jason and Julie, who both remain single and childless. After a disastrous party for Jason, the two talk over the idea of having children, something Julie has wanted for a while seeing as she is older than Jason. Jason and Julie figure that if they have a baby together and then proceed to move forward by dating other people, yet still taking care of the kid, their relationship as friends will not suffer.

They decide to do this on a whim and out of convenience, and nine months later, they have a child. Now here comes the inevitable part; they must support it yet are trying to seek out new people to date as well. Jason falls lust at first sight when he meets the offbeat and attractive Megan Fox's Mary Jane, and Julie can't seem to take her eyes off the rather cliché everyman, Kurt (Edward Burns).

Their friends are concerned for their behavior, mainly because they believe the having-a-child-without-plans-to-marry setup was an impulsive and foolish decision on their part. One area Friends With Kids absolutely wins at is its ability to have believable, real-life conversations that are projected through a mature, human scope. One of the most heartbreaking scenes involves Jason, a rather self-absorbed, egotistical character, confessing to Julie why they could never be together. This scene doesn't pull any punches. It genuinely makes its audience wince. No sight gags or one-liners involved.

Another perfect scene involved Jon Hamm's Ben lecturing Jason on why having a kid was a stupid idea on his part, and how the kid may grow up to be confused and troubled by not having two firm parental figures in his life. These are the scenes that create great humanity and drama between the characters, in an non-contrived, believable manner.

Friends With Kids feels like an exercise in Woody Allen-esque filmmaking, right down to the intellectual characters and the subtle character the state of New York plays. It's charming, often quite poignant, and perhaps offers some keen insights about the idea of raising children that is often forgone in many modern romantic comedies. It's endearing and reassuring to see a picture so true to its "romantic comedy" title.

Starring: Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Chris O'Dowd, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, and Jon Hamm. Directed by: Jennifer Westfeldt.

Does a lot right and a lot wrong.

[scrapmetal7 · 7/10 · 30 March 2014]

Pros: -This movie is very well shot, directed, and filmed. -The characters are real and engaging. -GREAT supporting cast. -The premise is dumb and common, and from the first scene you know exactly what kind of movie this is and where it is going, but the script itself is pretty damn fine, and keeps things intelligent and lively.

Cons:

-There's not much to Julie other than her character sketch. When she could show some personality and engage with the audience, she disintegrates into Ally McBeal-esque stuttering. Of course we want Jason to like her, but whereas we see a lot of who Jason is as a person, with Julie we have to take a lot of things on faith. When Jason has his first little Jerry Maguire speech at the ski lodge and talks about how they have similar taste and ideas about everything, I wasn't convinced that Julie hadn't just led him to believe that in the way people will chameleon for the person they're interested in, because all I knew about Julie even by that point was that she was young and successful and had nice hair.

-2 or 3 different Jerry Maguire-esque speeches.

-Adam Scott isn't really believable as the super-lothario he's supposed to be.

-The premise itself is insipid.

-The "Boy-loses-girl" moment is so huge that there's no believable possibility of recovery.

-Awkward insertions of atheism, which are distracting.

A nice effort but it kind of caves in on itself.

[Rockwell_Cronenberg · 5/10 · 12 December 2011]

I hate when comedies try to be "real". For some reason a writer will feel that they know the secret to human beings that will totally connect with audiences and make them say, "Finally, someone gets it." Of course this never works and it always comes off as artificial and forced from the actors. Thankfully this doesn't happen so much here with Jennifer Westfeldt's directorial debut (she also wrote it). There are a few moments where this can slightly creep in, but for the most part it actually tackles things in a refreshing, honest way and I was surprised by that.

Of course the premise (two thirtysomething best friends decide to stop waiting and have a kid together) is straight from the rom-com horsecrap handbook, but there are some turns along the way that I thought were surprisingly dark and genuine for something with such a cheap, hokey idea. There are some scenes that key into the stupidity of it all and I was impressed with how Westfeldt's script delved into that. Then again the film does end up being a pretty standard rom-com at the end of it all, so it kind of takes a jab at itself in the end.

Westfeldt assembled a nice group of her actor friends to play out the parts, but unfortunately she didn't have the smarts to cast someone other than herself in the lead. Her co-lead Adam Scott and the supporting cast are all fantastic here, in particular Jon Hamm who steals the entire movie as far as I'm concerned, but the director herself is a very cold and robotic actor. It was hard to feel anything for her or her dynamic with Scott when I couldn't even buy her as a real person. Overall though, this is a solid film of it's type with slightly better writing, a great cast for the most part and unfortunately one god awful ending.