Programmer's Note

A warm-hearted romantic comedy with an edge, Friends With Kids is inspired by that moment when a tight-knit circle of friends begins to unravel, as some begin to have children.

Fancying themselves sophisticated, career-driven individuals who want kids but don’t feel the need to be burdened by the every­day stresses of love and marriage, best buds Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt) conceive a scheme to procreate together and co-parent their child as sepa­rate but platonically loving friends rather than live-in partners. To them, this sounds progressive and easy.

Yet neither predict that their relationship will evolve under such curious conditions, and when they begin to date other people — Megan Fox and Edward Burns play their respective love interests — things don’t go as smoothly as planned. There’s also trouble in paradise for their two sets of married­-with-children pals. Straight-talkers Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O’Dowd) are spread too thin between their rambunc­tious toddlers and their faltering conjugal time, while the passionate foundation under Ben (Jon Hamm) and Missy (Kristen Wiig), formerly the most wildly in-love couple on the Upper West Side, promptly turns to clay.

Westfeldt’s directorial debut explores the pratfalls of raising a child and the unique dynamic between two people struggling to keep their friendship and suppressed romantic ideals intact. Friends with Kids’ extensive ensemble cast — many of whom appeared in this year’s breakout comedy Bridesmaids — does an exceptional job balancing heartfelt drama and romance with offbeat humour. As impressive as the pedigree of her cast, it is Westfeldt who brings warmth to her script, presenting a woman overwhelmed by her own uncharted course toward motherhood and domestic happiness. Jane Schoettle