Christina Hendricks' Life as We Know It: A Review of the Film

The film 'Life As We Know It' starring Katharine Heigl and Josh Duhamel tells the story of two people who find themselves forced to become parents after their mutual best friends, a married couple, die in a car accident. The movie follows Holly and Eric as they navigate their new roles and try to figure out how to fall in love with each other.

While Duhamel's magnetism is largely limited to the promotional images of his abs, Heigl does nothing to squash her reputation for being an annoying, type-A robot. Her constant fretting about everything makes it hard to believe that anyone could actually fall in love with her. On the other hand, director Greg Berlanti has a knack for moving between melodrama and moments of levity, making the film more enjoyable than expected.

One of the standout scenes is when Holly and Eric redecorate their dead friends' 'creepy' house and then proceed to have sex, get stoned, and watch a surreal children's video in the master bedroom. This scene is reminiscent of the underlying trauma that fueled Kenneth Lonergan's 'You Can Count on Me,' which is a much more substantial film.

The movie has its share of lighthearted moments, including Duhamel trying to change a diaper and Heigl carving a Thanksgiving turkey for their thankless neighbors. The well-executed and well-meaning film is full of those aren't-this-charming moments that can be easy to get caught up in.

It's hard to become cynical about the brand of funny-sad familial comedies, but it's also hard to forget the simple pleasures of watching a fictional family of Hollywood superstars act their way through the rituals of domesticity. Overall, 'Life As We Know It' is an innocuous and charming film that is worth watching for its lighthearted moments and pop pleasures.

Christina hendricks life as we know it