A fairy tale for modern times

Friends With Kids (2011)
Certified: 16
Duration: 88 minutes
Directed by: Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox, Ed Burns
KRS release

Fans of sitcom-style comedy will find Friends With Kids a very refreshing film.

... the way the cast plays out the inventive script, even the few clichés sound endearing- Johan Galea

It marks a welcome return to direction for Jennifer Westfeldt whose only other directorial outing was Kissing Jessica Stein, one of my favourite films of 2001.

Made for less than $10 million, this independent picture has a sense of comedy directors Woody Allen and Judd Apatow intermingled with sitcoms Friends and Seinfeld.

In Friends With Kids, best friends Julie and Jason (Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott) have reached a point in life where they want children of their own. However, they are discouraged when they see how children have changed the lives of their circle of friends.

They do not want to be like Leslie and Alex (Maya Rudolph and Chris O’Dowd), a married couple who had previously been fun but now seem to be on the verge of a depression. So they make a pact: to have a child without getting married and without complications while living their separate lives in the same block of apartments.

It’s interesting to see how they fare when dirty nappies enter into the fray as well as relationships with hotties in the form of Ed Burns and Megan Fox respectively.

The film also takes a look at another couple, Ben and Missy (Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig), whose burning passion seems to be cooling down.

This modern New York fairy tale works also due to the cast who invest a lot of character and personality into the cinematic experience.

Mr Hamm, the Don Draper of Mad Men fame, has a small part yet he runs away with the show. Ms Wiig of Bridesmaids is also spot on while Ms Westfeldt and Ms Scott display real synergy on screen.

Sometimes romantic comedies seem to take their audience for granted, treating them to the same storylines and clichés over and over again. But the way the cast plays out the inventive script, even the few clichés sound endearing.

Ms Westfeldt presents smart dialogue, a sexy appeal and avoids as much as possible the over-the-top “dramedy” that this genre is so well known for.

Aside from that, the cast’s comic timing is synchronised like a Swiss watch with Adam Scott standing out.

Friends with Kids presents quite an unusual premise in the way it chronicles the different couples while at the same time focusing on the unusual relationship at the film’s core.

It also has a sense of sophistication that gives it a far more intelligent look than the usual romantic comedy, making me compare it to another “intelligent” movie of the genre: 500 Days of Summer.