My Take on “Life As We Know It”

I was invited to a screening of Life As We Know It. I intended to bring a friend, but weeknights are tricky with kids’ activities. I managed to work out my schedule to get to the screening. The two friends I asked to go with me were both too busy with kid activities. I can relate to this.

I met a fellow blogger before the screening who was there with a friend. We sat together. We hadn’t planned on meeting. As I walked in she flagged me down. It was fun to watch the movie with friends!

I have mixed feelings about the movie.

It starred Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Heigl is on Grey’s Anatomy. Duhamel — I have no idea what he was in.
A huge portion of the movie was devoted to closeups of both of the actors. Both seemed like eye candy to me.
Why does Hollywood always cast attractive people in romantic comedies? Hey Hollywood, how about casting normal looking actors??
The central theme of the movie was making do with what life throws at you. I can totally relate to that.
The two actors are thrust in to parenting roles at the start of the movie as guardians to a baby — their goddaughter. The two leads did not know they had been selected as guardians. Oh and have I mentioned that the two leads hate eat other, but must live together. uh awkward.
The pace of the movie picked up once the two actors had to deal with the baby. The beginning was a little slow.
I was troubled by the fact that the baby was an orphan. I personalized too much, by thinking of how my children would be cared for if my husband and I died. We have few relatives that we would feel comfortable leaving our children with.
Life As We Know It was not the movie I expected. I thought it would be a romantic comedy, but it was poignant and sad.
On three occasions Duhamel dropped or fumbled the baby. I did not like this at all. I started wondering why the real mom of the baby (she was played by triplets) would allow this to happen. I know that the director would never allow a child to be put in danger. I know that the scene was shot from multiple angles so that the baby was not harmed in the process. Again, I am personalizing the film too much. It doesn’t help that Duhamel is an unlikable character. I didn’t sympathize with his situation at all.
My advice…give it a viewing. You will either love it or have mixed feelings about it.
I’m in the mixed feelings category. I am glad I saw the movie, but I am surprised by how sad and touching the movie was in parts.