“Life as We Know It,” Katherine Heigl’s (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Josh Duhamel’s (“Vegas”) latest release ranked number two at the box office on opening weekend, hauling in more than 14 million bucks. It is on its way to establishing itself as a timeless, classic romantic comedy in the same vein as “When Harry Met Sally” and “Annie Hall.”
Just kidding.
“Life as We Know It” is a fun and harmless romantic comedy that takes virtually no risks in upsetting the formula of its beloved genre.
The storyline is simple: Two singles (Duhamel and Heigl) are “really really ridiculously good-looking,” who are thrown together to raise their dead friend’s child.
That’s when the hijinx ensue—baby poo, parenting, laughter, tears, Josh Duhamel running sweaty with a baseball hat on. Check out the preview, I’m not giving anything away. I don’t think that’s even possible.
Duhamel stars as Eric Messer, the man who has a lot of one-night stands and doesn’t even make breakfast afterward (that one hits a little close to home, huh Fergie?) He reeks of heartthrob. You probably know him as that hot military guy, Major William Lennox, in “Transformers” and “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.” He will be in “Transformers 3: The Dark of the Moon.” It’s debatable whether those subtitles are overly dramatic or not.
But I digress.
Heigl stars as Holly Berenson, the Type-A career woman who takes a lot of bubble baths. Who cares that Heigl portrays the same character over and over? Dr. Izzie Stevens from “Grey’s Anatomy,” Allison Scott from “Knocked Up,” Abby Richter from “The Ugly Truth.” If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I’ve never seen “27 Dresses,” so I’m not qualified to compare her character in that one. I hate to admit that, because it hurts my credibility as an expert on Katherine Heigl. I have not yet had the pleasure to see her in the film, “Child’s Play 4: Bride of Chucky,” either.
Some might say the characters in this film seem one-dimensional, the plot harried in spots, the pacing a bit shaky and the attempts to turn predictable scenes into tiny twists as tiny failures, but I am not one of those people. Those people under-appreciate the genre. I think this was a spectacular movie. Dare I say classic rental?
Actor Josh Lucas (“A Beautiful Mind,” “Poseidon,” “Stealth”) also pads the man-candy as a pediatrician. It’s hard to top a hot doctor who loves children, but I personally liked him better as rough and tumble Jake Perry from “Sweet Home Alabama.”
If you’re looking for an easy PG-13 rated chick flick, you’ll be in good company. The audience will be made up of women who laugh a little too loud, cry dutifully at the appointed moments, and ogle Josh Duhamel in white boxers.
“Life As We Know It” has a runtime of 125 minutes, is rated PG-13 and is playing at Trademark Cinemas Victory Square Stadium 9 at 1:40 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 7:10 p.m. and 9:40 p.m.
[Contact fname=”Jenny” lname=”Dunn” email=”jedunn22@student.scad.edu”]
