Friends with Kids

Jon Hamm often gets a grilling about not having kids (what, with his genes!). This spiky NY relationship comedy is written and directed by his girlfriend of 14 years, Jennifer Westfeldt. And it’s safe to assume its sharp comments on what kids can do to marriage – and friendships – come from years of observation. Westfeldt stars as Julie, a singleton who feels cut off from her gang. They’ve all decamped to Brooklyn to have kids and become mean, angry people with no lives. That leaves Julie and friend Jason (Adam Scott) sipping cocktails in Manhattan. The pair cook up a plan: babies are fine, but marriage, no thanks. They’ll have a kid and raise it as friends. Purely platonic, no benefits… you can see where this is headed. The rest of the cast is a ‘Bridesmaids’ reunion, with Hamm and Kristen Wiig as a toxic couple whose once smokin’ relationship is now a car crash. Right about here Westfeldt shifts tone from prickly and insightful to date-movie feelgood, cruising towards a happy ending you can see from miles off.