Film

Review: Life as we know it

Martha Gall | Friday 8 October, 2010 09:52

If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if two good looking, moderately successful people were suddenly made guardians of an adorable one year old and forced to live together in a gorgeous mortgage-free house, Life As We Know It is your kind of flick. Like most romantic comedies throughout the ages, this Katherine Heigl vehicle uses pretty people to tell its formulaic story while indulging contemporary fetishes such as cupcakes, property and sport.

The story, such as it is, follows straight laced caterer Holly (Heigl) and slutty ne’er do well TV sport director Messer (Josh Duhamel of Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!) who are set up on a disastrous blind date by their well meaning mutual best friends (Hayes MacArthur and “Mad Men”‘s Christina Hendricks), and as a handy plot device are also made god parents to baby Sophie, meaning viewers get to see them in a montage of wacky social situations, disliking each other in obvious ways (she hits him with her bridesmaid bouquet at the friends’ wedding, etc.). When a fatal car crash orphans Sophie, Holly and Messer are shocked to find out they have been named as legal guardians to the baby, thus turning their singleton lives upside down. As they both adore the child they move into the house and try to sort out how to look after a baby, date other people and further their careers.

During the next hour or so circumstance continues to propel the two toward each other through fighting and apologising and trying to figure out how to raise a baby. The plot’s biggest obstacle comes when Messer is offered his dream job in another city. If you’re wondering if he will choose to leave the gorgeous (did I mention mortgage-free?) house, the talented blonde caterer (free cupcakes forever, dude) and vulnerable baby girl, well, this most certainly is your kind of movie.

Life as we know it opens in wide release today

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