Once in a while you see a trailer for a movie that makes you think “hey this could be funny” only to discover afterwards that the best moments were all on display in that 3 minute trailer. Its sad when that happens, especially when the premise is a good one. I remember watching the trailer for LIFE AS WE KNOW IT and thinking it had potential. Katherine Heigl has starred on TV’s GREY’S ANATOMY and KNOCKED UP. Josh Duhamel was in TRANSFORMERS and the TV show LAS VEGAS. These are two attractive stars in a romantic comedy so what could go wrong? Unfortunately several things.
The story revolves around Holly Berenson (Heigl) and Eric Messer (Duhamel). Originally set up on a blind date that goes terribly wrong in mere minutes, the two see each other in passing when invited to their best friends family events. Each is so close to one or the other that their friends make them godparents of their daughter Sophie. Then tragedy occurs when the unthinkable happens. Their friends die in a car accident and suddenly Holly and Messer find themselves the custodian of Sophie. Unfortunately their friends never gave any details to either of them about this plan.
Now Holly and Messer find themselves in unknown territory. To begin with neither of them knows anything about raising a child.
They also discover that there are no family members who can take care of young Sophie with any caring. One cousin has nine children of his own to worry about and Sophie’s grandfather takes his oxygen with him as well as being able to do not much of anything.
Then there’s their careers to think of. Holly is in the early stages of a successful bakery/catering business about to add a restaurant to her building. Messer is a television technician who works the board for local sports events in Atlanta. But the two of them work out schedules on a board and do their best, both deeply caring about Sophie and what is good for her.
But the best laid plans have a tendency to find problems. Toss into the mix a gaggle of neighbors who seem to be in the know on most everything and flirtatious with Messer as well as a social worker who must approve of the pair with several surprise visits and the recipe for disaster is just around the corner.
The standard problems arrive in the form of typical TV sitcom fashion. Poop jokes are plentiful and jealousy develops between the two although they’re not the least bit romantically involved. Messer brings in one date after another and Holly seems to have found a love interest in Sophie’s pediatrician Sam (Josh Lucas), a man she’s seen at her bakery before. Even though they have their separate lives, you can still see the glimmer of a chance for them to get together eventually. Okay, so maybe the glimmer isn’t quite there but the standard script obviously calls for it and you know its coming. Even the eventual possible parting of the ways is pretty pat when you think about it.
Perhaps that’s what makes this movie fail more than succeed. You feel as if you’ve seen it before. Nothing seems fresh or new, as a matter of fact it feels forced throughout. And the two characters are so one sided. Holly is presented as a woman who wants to do what’s right but always seems to be walked on by men in her life. And Messer is such an insufferable jerk from beginning to end that there is no hope for redemption before the final reel rolls. You can’t watch a man be a jerk For 100 minutes and believe that in the last 14 he can suddenly become a caring, selfless individual. Those moments that should have come throughout the film (and sooner than near the end) would have made him a character you could care about. As a man even I wanted to see him hurt.
The movie is total fluff, lighter than marshmallow cream. The only good thing one can say about it is that both lead actors here do a great job and are both easy on the eye. Sadly both actors are also in a downward spiral when it comes to movies like this. Heigl has had several romantic comedies tank at the box office and Duhamel’s last WHEN IN ROME tanked as well. One can only hope that both of them can find the perfect vehicle to resurrect their careers before movies like this one turn them into actors that folks will one day say “Oh yeah, I think I remember them”. Both are far better than this movie would lead you to believe.
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