Went into this one with the vague memory of having seen a
mediocre review but I also knew it had an impressive cast, so I figured it’d be
ok, at least. Turns out it was ok, at best.
The theme is relatable for both couples with kids (I
think) and single people with friends who are having kids and all the ‘fun’
that comes with that. But that feeling of being in a social
situation with a couple who pick at each other like a festering sore is, it
turns out, just as uncomfortable to watch on the big screen as it is in real
life.
As I was watching I couldn’t help but think of the lead
woman (Jennifer Westfeldt), how on earth did she get this gig? Her face was
distracting in a sharp and scrunchy way that seems mean to have noticed but the
friends I saw it with did too. Her delivery was just a bit *meh*, I couldn’t
warm to her. I also couldn’t stop wondering how this ok-but-not-great script
had secured such a talented cast, a number of whom starred in Bridesmaids
(Chris O’Dowd, Maya Rudolph & Kristen Wiig). It all made sense though, when
I discovered that leading woman Jennifer also wrote and directed the film and
that her husband who also features in it (though with not enough screen time
for his character to develop much) is Jon Hamm, star of the smash TV series Mad
Men.
Call me a cynic (you wouldn’t be the first), but the pieces
all fit together now.
I saw this film with four other women, all of whom had kids.
Two of them were with me and found the whole thing a bit tiresome and the other
two enjoyed it.
On balance, I’d say wait for the DVD. At best.