I should be straight with you; my motivation for seeing Friends with Kids last night was Jon Hamm. I have a very weird relationship with him, where he is not Jon Hamm at all. He is Don Draper from Mad Men; the man I could never marry. He’s my ‘one person’ (if you ever play that game? His is Cat Deeley).
So, accompanied by My Blonde, we headed for the plush seats (and honeycomb bites) at the Everyman Belsize Park for an evening of smokin’ Don. Incase you have missed the hype, actress Jennifer Westfeldt (Jon Hamm’s long term girlfriend) makes her debut as writer and director of this relationship comedy. In short, two best friends observe their closest friends have babies and how this affects their relationship. Conscious of ticking body clocks, they agree to have a baby together, before dating others and finding their ‘one person’.
Of course it ends in tears, and not just the baby’s. But I have to admit the strained relationships, the selfish parent reactions and the change of family dynamic made me properly laugh out loud. It made me wonder: why is it so funny to see a mirror image of your domestic situation played out on the big screen? Tragic as we feel sometimes, I suppose it’s good to know that we’re not alone in dealing with our ‘new lives’.
But I’m afraid I didn’t laugh all the way through the film. I cringed and checked my Blackberry a little while I waited for the Happy Ever After moment.
Friends With Kids (15) is out now.
