'Life as We Know It': mismatched mates
For the two main characters in "Life as We Know It," marriage and parenthood are like green eggs and ham: You do not like them, so you say. Try them! Try them! And you may.
Of course, they'll like them. What are romantic comedies for but to uphold traditional values? That has its charms, but "Life as We Know It" traces such an unwavering path toward its inevitable end that it leaves no room for surprises or laughs.
The film begins with a first date between Holly Berenson, an ambitious restaurateur, and Eric Messer, a sports-television director; they are played by Katherine Heigl, once again cast as the undatably high-strung beauty, and Josh Duhamel, a bland actor plopped into the rapscallion role. The two singles were set up by well-meaning friends, but the evening ends in name calling and door slamming.
When those friends die (a jarring development in a light comedy), their newborn, Sophie, legally falls to Holly and Eric. The two enemies reluctantly move into the empty house, confront the steep learning curve of first-time parents and pretend they're not meant for each other.
Love-hate relationships have always held great potential for fun - Shakespeare did them pretty well - but "Life as We Know It" is too lazy to rile any emotions. The thinly written characters offer nary a peep of protest as they fall into bed and start playing mommy and daddy. When it comes to romance, we all know resistance is futile, but it's no fun when the characters know it, too.
Back story: Here's looking at you, kids
Raising kids is tough. Especially when they're not yours. "Life as We Know It" is one of a long line of romantic comedies about single people becoming parents for the first time. Here's a look at some other first-time parents:
About a Boy (2002) - Hugh Grant is his charming stuttering self as a wealthy bon vivant who pretends to have a son to impress women. He ends up befriending a single mother (Toni Collette) and her 12-year-old son.
Baby Boom (1987) - Corporate big-shot J.C. (Diane Keaton) sees her world turned on its head when she inherits a baby girl from a distant relative. J.C.'s maternal instincts kick in, and she gets Sam Shepard as a reward.
Big Daddy (1999) - Adam Sandler adopts a kid to impress his girlfriend. Scary, but his puerile imagination comes in handy.
Martian Child (2007) - A widower-sci-fi writer (John Cusack) adopts a 6-year-old boy who thinks he's from Mars.
No Reservations (2007) - After her sister dies, a chef (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is in for a challenge when her niece (Abigail Breslin) comes to live with her.
Raising Helen (2004) - After her sister and brother-in-law die, a fashion exec (Kate Hudson) takes in their three kids (including Abigail Breslin, again).
- Miami Herald
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