Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
(PG) **
Director: Greg Berlanti.
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas.
IF you mix elements of Three Men And A Baby and The Proposal, you're pretty close to summing up this so-so romantic-comedy that's surprisingly low on romance and comedy.
It's a typical boy-meets-girl-and-they-hate-each-other premise, except with a one-year-old thrown into the mix, and it's predominantly the chemistry of Heigl and Duhamel that saves this from being a total waste of time.
They play the business woman Holly and lothario Messer, who are mutual friends of married couple Peter and Alison (ex-gridiron player Hayes MacArthur and Mad Men's Christina Hendricks).
Unfortunately Holly and Messer dislike each other thanks to a terrible date set up by their matchmaking best friends, but when Peter and Alison are killed in an accident they are forced to work together to look after Peter and Alison's one-year-old daughter.
The tragic moments of Life As We Know It are handled well, but it does put a downer on the rest of the film, which aims to be comedic with a slowburning but soggy love story underneath.
In lieu of any real humour, we are subjected to a parade of tired spew-and-poo baby jokes and the age-old odd couple scenario, which Heigl and Duhamel admittedly handle nicely despite a flat script.
Their pairing has a good amount of spark and its admirable the way they glide through the ups and downs of the plot, but this movie's story was tired even before it began.
Other than its stars, it doesn't have a lot going for it. Parents may get wry smiles from it and non-parents will probably chuckle once or twice (while swearing off ever having kids) but there's not much that's memorable.
Unable to inject enough life or twists on the situation, Life As We Know It maintains interest without ever really satisfying.