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

Jennifer Westfeldt wanted Jake Kasdan to direct it, but Jake Kasdan turned it down, opted to produce it instead, but was the one that suggested that Jennifer Westfeldt herself directed it.

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Goofs

When Jason describes his girlfriend Mary Jane to Julie and insists that she should meet her, while leaving the house Julie's white scarf is tied in one scene and untied in the next scene.

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Quotes

Julie Keller: I have heard so much about you, I feel like I know you. I've two of your thongs in my apartment.
[Awkward pause]
Julie Keller: I washed them.

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Connections

Referenced in Conan: Dead Men Tell No Amusing Anecdotes (2011)

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Soundtracks

Losing Control
Performed and composed by Oliver Butler and Fergus Williams

User Reviews

Hitting the nail on the head - for me anyway

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.