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Friends with Kids

Friends with Kids

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 2012

In the wake of their friends' marriages and eventual offspring, longtime pals Julie and Jason decide to have a child together without becoming a couple. By becoming "time-share" parents, they reason, they can experience the joys of parenthood without significantly curbing their personal freedom. However, when Julie and Jason both become involved with others, they discover that they secretly harbor romantic feelings for each other.

Movie details

Friends with Kids

“Love. Happiness. Kids. Pick two.”

2012 Comedy · Drama · Romance 1h 40m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

5.9 / 10

Community rating

In the wake of their friends' marriages and eventual offspring, longtime pals Julie and Jason decide to have a child together without becoming a couple. By becoming "time-share" parents, they reason, they can experience the joys of parenthood without significantly curbing their personal freedom. However, when Julie and Jason both become involved with others, they discover that they secretly harbor romantic feelings for each other.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Friends with Kids?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jennifer Westfeldt

Written by

Jennifer Westfeldt

Adam Scott

Adam Scott

Jason Fryman

Jennifer Westfeldt

Jennifer Westfeldt

Julie Keller

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm

Ben

Maya Rudolph

Maya Rudolph

Leslie

Chris O'Dowd

Chris O'Dowd

Alex

Kristen Wiig

Kristen Wiig

Missy

Megan Fox

Megan Fox

Mary Jane

Court is in session

Put Friends with Kids on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.