Friends with Kids is a 2012 Romantic Comedy film written by, directed by, and co-starring Jennifer Westfeldt.
Julie and Jason (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) are two single Manhattan yuppies and longtime platonic friends living in the same building. After observing their other close friend couples, Missy and Ben (Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm) and Leslie and Alex (Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd), pair off and have kids, Julie and Jason decide to conceive a child together so they can experience the joys of parenthood without the complications of being in a relationship. Surprisingly, complications ensue.
This work provides examples of:
- A-Cup Angst: Jason is straightforward in believing that bigger breasts are better, causing the flat Julie to worry that he won't get excited when it's time to conceive and later crying that that's why he doesn't love her.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: Two, from different characters, at different times.
- Beta Couple: Leslie and Alex (Rudolph and O'Dowd) have their moments of stress, but their marriage seems both generally normal and generally happy, in stark contrast to Missy and Ben's (Wiig and Hamm) disastrous marriage and Jason and Julie's unusual approach.
- Big Applesauce: Well, who makes a romantic comedy about two people falling in love in Boise, Idaho?
- Child Hater: Mary Jane (Megan Fox) is this, leading to the end of her relationship with Jason.
- to be fair, her reasons for not wanting children herself (she travels a lot for work, etc) seem fair enough, but her only interactions with children are characterised by boredom or disgust; so it was clear she would never be interested in playing a part in Joe's upbringing.
- Everyone Can See It: Their friends are astonished when they find out that Jason and Julie aren't getting together.
- "Friends" Rent Control: There is a Hand Wave about Julie's apartment being rent-controlled.
- I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship: Jason when Julie wants more.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Julie after Jason turns her down.
- The Matchmaker: played with. Leslie appears to this Jason and Julie would make a good couple, but she doesn't do anything to actively bring it about, and throughout the film introduces Julie to various men including a convict and the main Romantic False Lead.
- Nice Guy: Kurt, who appears to have zero flaws. It doesn't even seem to bother him when Jason goes on a long rant about how much he loves Julie (in theory, platonically, but even so) at a New Years dinner.
- Parents as People: Especially Ben and Missy, but the whole film spends a lot of time discussing the struggle it is to have kids and make a marriage work.
- Pick Up Babes With Babes: Jason does this in Central Park when he spots Mary Jane while out on a walk with the baby. It works.
- Platonic Co-Parenting: The entire plot is Jason and Julie deciding to do this; they're best friends and on the same page about most things, and they both want a kid, so why not have one together without that pesky relationship business? Other people think it's weird, but they actually do a pretty good job. And wind up falling in love anyway.
- Right Through the Wall: Jason and Mary Jane are rather loud when having sex at the cabin in Vermont, much to the displeasure of Julie and Kurt.
- Romantic False Lead: One for each of the principals, in the form of Megan Fox and Ed Burns.
- Seasonal Baggage: A fade from Central Park in springtime to the same shot of Central Park in fall.
- Shipper on Deck: Leslie. Alex by extension. Arguably Joe too, by the end.
