Friends with Kids (2011)

Two best friends decide to have a child together while keeping their relationship platonic, so they can avoid the toll kids can take on romantic relationships.

Director:

Jennifer Westfeldt

Writer:

Jennifer Westfeldt

Stars:

Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adam Scott	...	Jason Fryman
Jennifer Westfeldt	...	Julie Keller
Maya Rudolph	...	Leslie
Chris O'Dowd	...	Alex
Kristen Wiig	...	Missy
Jon Hamm	...	Ben
Loulou Sloss	...	Girl Acting Up in Restaurant
Katie Foster	...	Girl in Office / Jule's Assistant
Robert Halpern	...	Cole
Daniel Halpern	...	Cole
Rekha Luther	...	Life Coach / Jason's Date
Peter K. Hirsch	...	Doctor in Delivery Room
Lee Bryant	...	Elaine Keller
Kelly Bishop	...	Marcy Fryman
Cotter Smith	...	Phil Fryman

Storyline

Julie and Jason have been best friends for years with no romantic interest in each other. He sleeps with someone new every few days, and she's looking for Mr. Right. Now in their thirties, they notice that their friends seem to lose all their good qualities when they have children - child rearing and the spark of Eros don't seem to co-exist. So, they decide to have a child together, share in child rearing, but pursue their own romantic lives. Things go well until he meets Mary Jane and she meets Kurt. Both seem like perfect mates. What could go wrong?

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | cabin | life coach | friend | children | 

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Taglines:

Family doesn't always go according to plan.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Lionsgate [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Plan perfecto

Filming Locations:

Mt. Peter, Warwick, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,017,466, 11 March 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,250,054, 10 June 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Red Granite Pictures,Points West Pictures,Locomotive

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jason introduces Mary Jane to his parents (played by Kelly Bishop and Cotter Smith) in Mary Jane's dressing room, backstage at the Broadway revival of Chicago. In Kelly Bishop's real life, she appeared in (and won a Tony for) the original Broadway production of A Chorus Line, which in 1975 engaged in a famous box office and awards rivalry with the original production of Chicago.

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Goofs

In the final scene, when Jason leaves Julie's house, she is wearing a black v-neck sweater and her hair is nicely coiffed. After she asked him to leave, when he decided to go back and try again, she is wearing a completely different outfit and her hair is longer and messy.

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Quotes

Jason Fryman: But, I never heard from you because you were fucking Dirk Diggler.

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Connections

Featured in Chelsea Lately: Episode #6.40 (2012)

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Soundtracks

I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
Written by Irving Berlin
Performed by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Courtesy of The Verve Music Group under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

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

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.