Friends With Kids

R

Released Mar 9, 2012

1 hr. 40 min.

Romance

Comedy

List

66%

152 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the wake of their friends' marriages and eventual offspring, longtime pals Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott) decide to have a child together without becoming a couple. By becoming "time-share" parents, they reason, they can experience the joys of parenthood without significantly curbing their personal freedom. However, when Julie and Jason both become involved with others, they discover that they secretly harbor romantic feelings for each other.

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Premiered May 14

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Critics Consensus

Sharp, shrewd, and funny, Friends with Kids features excellent performances that help smooth over some of the story's more conventional elements.

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Gareth v

Cliched, predictable and dull. Not horrible but there's not really anything memorable about this movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

06/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Decent script, main characters have good chemistry. Funny and sweet in the right moments.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Don't look for anything surprising here. You can tell the fate of this film a few miles away, and let me say the end dialogue of the film is so horrid it almost ruins the entire production all together. There are few laughs worth side glancing at your tv while this plays, but do not expect to be entertained or surprised by this predictable and basic story. I like many of the actors and actresses in their other roles, this just doesn't come together at all.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great acting, interesting storyline, and although the ending was pretty expected, I thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

While Friends with Kids mostly conforms to the classic story of best friends gradually discovering they're in love with each other throughout the movie, the film makes this cliche trope slightly more entertaining with the added element of the two characters raising a child together. However, the compatibility of Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt, who also wrote, directed, and produced the film) is undermined by the fact that Jason is almost unbearable. His constant comments that objectify and demean women are disgusting. In fact, his best moment is the dinner table scene when he yells at Ben, played by Jon Hamm, to stop being so judgemental. Ben is also horrible, but he is supposed to be horrible and the audience is supposed to hate him. Jason is supposed to be one of the characters that the audience is rooting for, but I found myself wishing that Julie would end up with Kurt, despite the fact that anyone who has ever seen a romcom knows that this other man will eventually disappear, just like Megan Fox's character, Mary Jane. While Mary Jane is also far from likable, this is mostly because she seemed to have zero personality. Her appearance was commented on numerous times by many of the characters, but she lacked any character development that could have made her tolerable. The idea of villainizing a woman who does not want to have kids also feels stale and outdated. Besides Julie, Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O'Dowd) were by far the most likable characters. However, this is mostly because they were uninvolved with the plot. Although they did have a micro-story arc about finding passion in a relationship after having kids, they were mostly just bystanders as the drama unfolded. Despite their small roles, Rudolph and O'Dowd were both hilarious in their roles, particularly Rudolph. She stole many of the scenes she was in and provided the most genuinely funny material. Overall, the film is good. Not outstanding but certainly better than some of its romcom peers that are either completely cliche or just an hour and a half of crass jokes that aren't very funny. It presents a compelling message about romance, suggesting that it does not always have to be based on passion or sexual attraction. It recognizes the hardships of parenthood and does not pass judgement on imperfect parents.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The premise was enticing. The cast made me click play, but the acting left a lot to be desired. Won't be recommending to many friends but happy that I finally watched.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

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Jennifer Westfeldt

Director

Jennifer Westfeldt

Julie

Adam Scott

Jason

Jon Hamm

Ben

Kristen Wiig

Missy

Maya Rudolph

Leslie

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Anna Smith

metro.co.uk

Blending Jennifer Westfeldt's talky, observational style with the kind of irreverent humour that helped Bridesmaids bridge the gender divide, Friends With Kids explores love, marriage and child-rearing with gusto and wit.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 24, 2018

Full Review

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Rated: 3/5

Jul 6, 2012

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Westfeldt's screenplay is often sharp, shrewd and funny...

Rated: 3/5

Jun 29, 2012

Full Review

David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

There is no substitute for important things to communicate. Good looks, attractive locations and a handful of brittle, clever lines have never been enough.

Feb 12, 2021

Full Review

Felicia Feaster

Charleston City Paper

More than the trite set-up, Friends with Kids' biggest travesty is a criminal waste of professional funny people like Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph.

Jan 16, 2020

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

Sharp enough to appreciate, with Westfeldt and Adam Scott anchoring a really good cast.

Apr 12, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the wake of their friends' marriages and eventual offspring, longtime pals Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott) decide to have a child together without becoming a couple. By becoming "time-share" parents, they reason, they can experience the joys of parenthood without significantly curbing their personal freedom. However, when Julie and Jason both become involved with others, they discover that they secretly harbor romantic feelings for each other.

Director: Jennifer Westfeldt
Executive Producer: Mike Nichols, John Sloss, Lucy Barzun Donnelly
Screenwriter: Jennifer Westfeldt
Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Production Co: Red Granite Pictures, Locomotive, Points West Pictures
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 9, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 17, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.3M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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