Life as We Know It

OK, so perhaps it's a bit formulaic. But getting through the process was unexpected. A very sweet story line, and some clunky transitions; however, the ultimate feel was very sweet and pulled at the heart strings. Life isn't simple, doesn't always go as expected, and requires a bit of effort. This film seemed to capture a wide variety of experiences and faced them with poignancy and humor.

I truly was expecting it to be all fluff, or very silly, and I didn't expect the film to tell the story as well as it did. Insight into different families, good times, bad times, and the mundane. No huge laugh out loud moments, but definitely some chuckles. I'm glad I gave it a shot. Give it a try sometime, and you just might be surprised, too.

After their first date Holly Berenson(Heigl) and Eric Messer (Duhamel) don't like each other. They have friends in common and those friends die in a car accident and leave their daughter, Sophie, to both Holly and Eric (call him Messer) who are the God-Parents. Now, the games begin

This will start off sad, then it will be okay and funny in many places, and then later on a little sad again; then surprise, surprise, okay again. You were looking for a happy ending, weren't you? I thought so, but it takes some doing to get there. It's all in the telling. And, this is told quite well. And, to have Josh Duhmel and Katherine Heigl portray the God-Parents, well it just doesn't get any better. I think they are terrific actors and their chemistry was excellent.

I said the sad thing because it is sad and tragic when friends die and then leave a 1-yr old baby with others. And, like it or not, I am sure things like this have happened. Maybe the title should have been LIFE AS IT CAN HAPPEN.

So Holly and Eric (wants to be called Messer) are thrown into instant parenthood and go through those trials and tribulations just as if they were married and had their own kid. Well, almost. Many parents will see themselves in here.

As far as the comedy goes, it was very good and I got a lot of laughs throughout starting with the first diaper change. Yes, that's always a good starter duty for new parents. The audience patiently waits for that one.

Violence: No. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Not really, but Heigl does mouth an F-bomb. You don't hear it and she turns away quickly so you don't see all.

My wife's choice of film made me miss "The Town" and "The Social Network" which I preferred, but I'm not regretting this night. As a mere film lover, I have no idea how the two leads managed to make this script believable, but they did. Katherine Heigl is a known, reliable entity who's graced many a movie, but the real discovery for me was Josh Duhamel who conveyed all of his feelings to me, another guy, extremely well in situations I've never really encountered, perhaps better and more agreeably than any other male lead I can think of. Now I'm not sure why. The guy's quite a bit more handsome than me and everything's done with a light touch, but somehow, he's effective and simultaneously non- threatening, if that's the word.

Anyway, this film is far from perfect, but what it's attempting to explore is a bit mind boggling. How would two people who initially dislike each other find enough common ground to come together in the best interests of a child? You won't find a 'how to' here, but all the small moves and incidents rang true to me, and the result in the end, seems quite plausible to me, at least. Things happen when two people get thrown together like this and I doubt you'll have it illustrated more enjoyably than this any time soon.

Holly (Katherine Heigl) and Eric, known by his last name, Messer (Josh Duhamel) were once set up by close married friends, wife Alison (Christina Hendricks) and hubby Peter (Hayes MacArthur). The date lasted all of five minutes, as each took an instant dislike to one another and rang the gong. However, they have had to see each other over the last few years, at parties and gatherings thrown by the wedded couple. More so now that the A and P have a little girl named Sophie. A self-described "control freak", Holly owns a gourmet food shop called Fraiche, in the Atlanta area, where she has grown interested in a frequent customer, Dr. Sam (Josh Lucas). For his part, Messer works in sports television, operating cameras for the Hawks basketball franchise and he has a new girlfriend every five minutes. Into this setting comes a shock. Alison and Peter tragically die in an automobile crash and, unbelievably, leave custody of Sophie to their unmarried pals, Holly and Messer. After the tears and agony, the we-loathe-each-other couple realize that they must move into their friends' large home and learn how to take care of their new daughter, with civility. But, as both are practicing "on the job parenting", they still have quite a few arguments and upsets. Juggling jobs and babies is a tough job, they quickly concede. Could it also be that, despite Dr. Sam's growing presence and Messer's frequent galpals, that Holly and Messer will actually grow to like each other? Maybe! This is a lovely new entry into the world of romantic comedies, for all of the genre's dedicated fans. Despite the tried and true theme of mismatched, argumentative folks falling in love, the movie has a few new twists, as a result of the adorable baby. Heigl and Duhamel are perfectly wonderful as the main couple, although both are such pros in this type of film that they should probably try to "branch out" in their next projects or be stuck in this kind of thing forever. The supporting cast is also very fine, as are the settings, costumes, and camera work. Add on the zesty direction and polished, humorous storyline and a winning flick emerges. Therefore, Hollywood, please send us more movies like this one, and fans, take time out from life's more mundane practices and make plans for a view.

I am not a great fan of romantic comedies because, honestly, they all seem the same. This one proved me wrong! I actually laughed (unexpected) and even cried (really unexpected) during this movie. There is great chemistry between all the cast members . The premise that the story is based on is presented as very believable. I found myself immersed in the possibility of this happening in real life, not just reel life! I think the director brought out the best in the actors. Katie Heigl has more depth as an actor than I gave her credit for. Josh Duhmel proves to be more than just a pretty face. I really loved this movie and was so glad I went to see it!