Friends With KidsMovie Reviews

So-so

Avg. Critic Score: 55 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore^® based on all critic reviews

Information for Parents:

Iffy for 17+

Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

88

Rolling Stone | Peter Travers
An indelibly funny and touching comedy with a real sting in its tail. The laughs leave scars. Read full review
83

Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum
The observations about parenthood, pro and con, are quick and smart, and Scott effortlessly steals the show, softening Westfeldt's brittle cuteness. Read full review
75

Miami Herald | Connie Ogle
Friends With Kids cheerfully earns its R rating on language alone, but always in service of a good laugh. Read full review
75

USA Today | Claudia Puig
Friends With Kids takes a fresh and funny look at a familiar subject, with enough buoyant romance to satisfy audiences drawn to starry-eyed love stories and hopeful endings. Read full review
70

The Hollywood Reporter |
The co-screenwriter of "Kissing Jessica Stein" goes solo as writer and director with a romantic comedy that takes time to find its groove but steadily accumulates heart and humor. Read full review
60

New York Daily News | Elizabeth Weitzman
While "FWK" never challenges us, it does remain consistently engaging. Read full review
60

Movieline | Stephanie Zacharek
Jennifer Westfeldt's sort-of romantic comedy Friends with Kids is on to something, even if in the end it suffers from a failure of nerve. Read full review
50

San Francisco Chronicle | Walter Addiego
Good chemistry between the lead actors and nice supporting performances help Friends With Kids survive a formulaic story and just-OK filmmaking. Read full review
50

Boston Globe | Wesley Morris
There's also new piety and self-righteousness about parenting. Comedies are nervous to find the real humor and wonder in having a family. It's usually tragedy or nothing. Read full review
10

Wall Street Journal | Joe Morgenstern
It's shrill in tone, awash in unexamined narcissism - kids are just pretexts for laughs, rather than objects of love - and afflicted by explosive verbal diarrhea. There's simply no base line of normal human activity, let alone intimacy, until the anticouple finally re-examines their anticommitment credo. By then everyone has been so selfish and dislikable that our commitment to the film is lost. Read full review

Metacritic link View more reviews for Friends With Kids on Metacritic

Information for Parents

Common Sense Media says Iffy for 17+ Mature relationship dramedy heartfelt, but also cliched.

What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that Friends with Kids is a dramedy about adult relationships and having and raising children -- themes that may not particularly appeal to younger viewers, despite a cast filled with Bridesmaids veterans like Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, and Jon Hamm. Characters frankly assess the challenges of child-rearing, making the movie honest to a degree that young kids won't probably be able to process or understand with nuance. There are also open, graphic discussions about sex (what it's like pre- and post-baby, what happens to the body and libido, etc.), and a few scenes that show sex/implied sex (no sensitive nudity). Marriages are depicted in various stages of tension and discord; relationships are fuzzy and confusing. Characters swear frequently and colorfully ("f--k," "s--t," etc.) and do plenty of social/a bit more than social drinking.

Families can talk about Friends with Kids' messages about relationships. What is it saying about single life? Married life? How accurate do you think it is? Do movies give us a realistic portrait of relationships in general?
Why do movies see parenting as rife for comedic material? Do they exaggerate it in any way? Do you think the characters in this movie are good parents? Why or why not?
Do Jason and Julie's reasons to have a baby make sense? Or are they the kind that only seem to come up in movies?

The good stuff

Positive messages: Somewhat obscured by the usual romcom dance -- girl likes guy, guy loses girl -- that can sometimes mislead younger viewers into thinking that every romance worth having requires a lot of drama is the message that wonderful relationships can come from deep and abiding friendships. Also, it's nice to be able to lean on our friends for help, and kids don't need to damage friendships -- they just change the tenor of it.
Positive role models: Julie and Jason are both sweet and caring friends, as well as (mostly) communicative and supportive. They don't always behave in exemplary fashion (one-night stands, crass comments, etc.), but at heart they're good people. Their friends are, too, even if they get lost amid the chaos of relationship and family drama and act out in sometimes hurtful ways.

What to watch for

Violence: Loud arguments sometimes take place in public, humiliating many of the people involved.
Sexy stuff: More talk than action, but plenty of talk, including suggestive banter, graphic language ("blow job," "vagina," "jerked off") and frank discussion of sexual acts/positions/desires. Brief glimpse of porn footage (nothing overly explicit). Friends sleep together in a scene that starts out awkward but becomes more tender (no graphic nudity). Other scenes show kissing/making out that (presumably) leads to sex. Loud moaning is heard. References ot masturbation. Lingerie-clad women are seen.
Language: Frequent but not constant use of words including "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "douchebag," "d--k," "damn," "Jesus" (as an exclamation) and more.
Consumerism: Labels/brands seen include Budweiser, Stella Artois, Kolcraft, Mercedes, Apple (iPhones and laptops), Zipcar, Magnolia Bakery, and more. Jason works in beer sales.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Plenty of drinking by adults, mostly social in nature (at restaurants, dinners, bars, etc.) but sometimes to excess. One character in particular is suggested to be especially fond of/dependent on her wine.

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