Movie Review: Life As We Know It

Here at Rave Central we don’t get out to movies nearly as often as we would like.  But, when we saw the trailer for the new film “Life As We Know It,” starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, we had already pre-planned a date night.  So, when the opportunity arose for us to attend a pre-screening of the film at a local theatre, we were all about it. 

Even when we found out the screening was to be held the day after our second child was born, we weren’t deterred in the slightest.  So, fresh from the hospital with our brand-new family of four, we packed up our two year old for a playdate at a sister’s house and headed out to watch the film with swaddling blankets, a pack of newborn diapers, and the knowledge that we might not make it through to the end credits.  Date night sure isn’t what it used to be, eh? 

Remarkably, we made it to the end of the film and I am very glad we did.  Even with the movie’s darker undertones that deal with the untimely death of a one year old girl’s parents and the havoc it plays on the lives of her two godparents, the movie still manages to be both funny and lighthearted at the same time.  Of course, the very hormonal new mom in the back row by the exit shed a few tears during the sadder parts in the movie, but overall kept my sobbing to a minimum.

Being that the film is a romantic comedy, there was quite a bit of predictability in the storyline, but that didn’t stop it from remaining fresh and funny.  I loved the progression of the relationship of Holly (Heigl) and Messer (Duhamel) from that horrendous first date to the marriage of their best friends and then to the love each of them had for Sophie, the goddaughter they both adored.  When their best friends die in a car accident that leaves Sophie an orphan, the two find out that they are all Sophie has and decide to parent her together in the same house.

Watching them navigate the first few weeks together is something any parent can understand, but the fact that they have two very different career ambitions and social calendars makes this “new parent” period especially difficult.  Add in the fact that their “new baby” is a toddler and that they can’t stand each other and it makes for quite a few laughs.  When even more complications are added to the mix and then love interests are introduced, the situation becomes even more complex. 

Through all the comedy and the turmoil, there are some important messages about parenthood and couplehood that are examined.  It eventually becomes clear why their friends chose them to parent Sophie, but it remains to be seen as to whether they can put aside their differences and help parent her together.  The movie runs for about 2 hours which did seem a bit long for this type of movie, but it was definitely entertaining throughout and I didn’t find myself checking my watch.   

By now you’ve probably seen at least a few trailers for the movie, but if you haven’t you can check out the trailer here.

Find out more about the movie and see clips and pictures at the official movie site: http://lifeasweknowitmovie.warnerbros.com/

I attended a complimentary screening of this movie to facilitate my review and received a gift card from Mom Central as a thank you for my time.  All opinions are 100% ours.