Movie Review: Life as We Know It

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Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel play Holly Berenson and Eric Messer, two people who move in different middle class social circles and if it weren't for their personal close friends, would never have met each other. They don't like each other, they tolerate each other only because of their mutual close friends who are married. When the couple is suddenly and unexpectedly killed in a traffic accident Life as We Know It is forever changed for Holly and Eric.

In their will, Peter and Alison Novak being of sound mind, as far as we can tell, name Holly and Eric to be guardians for their one year old daughter Sophie. Although after seeing Holly and Eric together we wonder about that sound mind clause. Instant and unanticipated parenthood are thrust upon them. Eric laments that even though he's been with a number of women and always used protection, he still ends up with a child! They come to an uneasy truce that Peter and Alison trusted them enough with the number one aspect of their life, Sophie, that they would do their best to try to raise the toddler.

From here the movie falls into a formula. Two people forced together who by spending time together learn to appreciate and love each other...come on you've seen this before. Can you say Disney's Beauty and the Beast? I knew you could! Take aspects of Modern Family and make them the neighbors. The homosexual couple, the regular couple and the Southern Belle (the story takes place in Atlanta) with her husband add to the assortment of characters that Holly and Eric look to for child rearing advice and babysitting services. Overlay the arc with the standard boy finds girl, boy looses girl and boy regains girl. This completes the story.

The movie didn't stand out, but it didn't lay an egg either. There were no easter eggs in this 112 minute movie that was rated PG-13 for sexual material, language and some drug content. It was a non ground breaking, predictable connect the numbers movie that would be good for a stay at home night with a DVD or download rental.

The Movie Monkey

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