Review: Friends with Kids

In 2001 Jennifer Westfeldt starred in Kissing Jessica Stein, an indie darling she wrote about a neurotic New Yorker whose frustration with the dating scene resulted in a romance with another woman. She returns to the big screen with her third feature script and her directorial debut, Friends with Kids. Unfortunately the self-conscious charm of Kissing Jessica Stein hasn't returned; instead Friends with Kids is almost entirely self-consciously awkward.

Westfeldt stars as Julie Keller, a thirtysomething so close to her best friend Jason (Adam Scott) they even live in the same building. Unlike their other friends, their coupling is always temporary, and with other people. In the meantime, Leslie and Alex (Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd) are on their second child, and the nymphomatic Ben and Missy (Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig) are raising their son. Eventually, after too many baby pictures spamming their email and too many snarky comments on what their friends have lost, they decide to have a baby together but not be a couple. The obvious ensues.

If it seems like it has something in common with Bridesmaids, it does, and not just half the cast. Quirky wit has been supplanted with too many pseudo-intimate talk-overs that mask the lack of substantive dialogue. Most scenes rely on stereotypes and drawn out, ridiculous humor. And of course there is the requisite fecal humor that might have been funny if they hadn't been so graphic about it. Even the soundtrack stutters; the standard "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" plays twice in near succession as if it too can't help being repetitive.

Friends with Kids works best when it's not trying so hard, a lot like parents who are too tired to get wound up by the drama of parenthood.  There are some genuinely touching and funny moments, particularly in the latter half of the film. Unfortunately, it tries too hard to force the humor and even the drama.  Westfeldt seems so insecure in front of the camera most of the time, it's hard not to speculate how insecure she was behind it.

It's certainly not the lack of talent on the screen. But audiences looking for the commanding presence of Jon Hamm (Mad Men) will be sorely disappointed, and not just because his character is mostly filler, a foil for Scott's Jason. Westfeldt herself is best in the quieter moments, when her character is clearly exhausted, but never manages to generate much emotional sincerity on screen. Scott (Parks and Recreation) is the most consistent performer throughout the film, but he is also let down by the script (or perhaps by too much improvisation). None of the other actors stands out in any way.

Friends with Kids isn't as bad as Bridesmaids, but it's no Jessica Stein.