I don’t think I wrote up anything on ‘Life As We Know It’ when it came out in theaters. The trailers made it seem like mostly a comedy, but it’s really a comedy, drama and romance all rolled into one.
And while I usually don’t go in for movies where a parent — or both — die (too sad!), this one actually turned out pretty good, probably because it’s more focused on the mismatched romance than the missing-parents storyline.
Some people just don’t like Katherine Heigl, but I’m not one of them. I actually love watching her onscreen. She funny, she’s nice to look at, and she usually had good chemistry with her co-stars. And I loved her on ‘[amazon_link id=”B003R0MEW2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Grey’s Anatomy[/amazon_link].’ Well, ok, she got a little tiresome towards the end of her run, but watch the beginning seasons for some classic Heigl. You can see that the camera just loves her.
In ‘[amazon_link id=”B002ZG989Q” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Life As We Know It[/amazon_link],’ she plays Holly Berenson, a single woman who’s set up on a date with Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel), a guy with whom she has absolutely nothing in common. After a disastrous date, the two soon learn that their closest friends have died in an accident — and they’ve been appointed the mutual guardians of their friends’ baby.
I know what you’re thinking. This is the usual formulaic Hollywood cliche – take a tragic situation, throw two mismatched people into it, and watch the romance brew. Ok, it’s all that. But if you don’t go into this movie expecting anything more, you might actually enjoy it.
Both Heigl and Duhamel give understated performances, and you can actually imagine this scenario happening in real life. It’s a sincere movie — that’s the word I’m looking for. And baby Sophie, played by triplets Alexis, Brynn and Brooke Clagett — is absolutely adorable. She’s also a great jumping-off point for some very funny scenes.
If you don’t mind a nice, uncomplicated dramedy now and then, you should check out ‘Life As We Know It.’ It’s rated PG-13 for sexual material, language and some drug content, and the rating is on target.
Report back and let me know what you think.
http://youtu.be/1BlMEYZQ-fs
Also check out these reviews of ‘Life As We Know It’:
DVD Talk, Brian Orndorf: “It’s difficult not to sound like a bitter heterosexual man while writing a pan of this odious picture, but Heigl (who co-produces) has a way of making modern love feel like a stint inside of an iron maiden.”
Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips: “This is a change from what audiences have come to expect from the usual Heigl vehicle. She’s quicker-witted and warmer than usual here, and she keeps Duhamel on his toes, even when the storyline drags its feet.”
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: “So anyway, what happens in ‘Life As We Know It’? You’ll never guess in a million years. Never. You might just as well give up right now. I don’t like spoilers, so just let me say…”
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