Rob Edelman ? Relationships ? WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Quite a few Hollywood comedies have explored the intricacies of friendship between a man and a woman without the encumbrance of romance.?Perhaps the classic film that fits this description is WHEN HARRY MET SALLY, which? hard to believe? was released 23?years ago.?Here, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan play the title duo, who over the course of time develop a deep bond without admitting that what exists between them is more than just kinship.??

As recently as last year, you have FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, in which Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake play the title characters.?The ?benefits? of their friendship are the sexual trysts they enjoy without the complications of an emotional attachment.??

You can add to this list the newly-released and similarly-titled FRIENDS WITH KIDS, a clever, enjoyable romantic comedy? which generally is a rarity among films released in the first months of a new year.?

Jennifer Westfeldt and Adam Scott play Julie and Jason, best pals who live in the same Manhattan apartment building, but not together.?To the world, they are very much like a couple, even though romance and sex play no part in their relationship. Julie?and Jason may be compared to a couple, played by Jon Hamm and Kristin Wiig, who once upon a time were deeply in lust but whose relationship now wallows in endless nagging and complaining.?Add to the mix a third couple, played by Maya Rudolph and Chris O?Dowd, who are the definition of a dreary ?old married couple.?

How do you avoid the seemingly inevitable drawbacks of long-term relationships? Well, Julie and Jason both feel that it is time to have a child, and they decide to do this together.?The catch is that they agree to share the responsibilities of parenthood while preserving the platonic, non-romantic nature of their relationship.?All of this sounds oh so logical, but of course there are complications. If there weren?t, well, you wouldn?t have much of a movie.

I can safely predict that, at the end of the year, FRIENDS WITH KIDS will not be making its way onto critics or moviegoers? ten-best lists.?Is this film predictable??Well, sure it is.?Is it akin to an extended episode of a television situation comedy??Well, sure.?But at its best, FRIENDS WITH KIDS is perky, pleasant, and genuinely entertaining.?And while the film is funny, there also are some good dramatic moments which deal with real-world choices regarding love, commitment, the ebb and flow of relationships, and the decisions one makes in relationships.

Finally, FRIENDS WITH KIDS is the directorial debut of Jennifer Westfeldt, who also scripted.?Westfeldt?s two previous films as writer-actor, KISSING JESSICA STEIN and IRA & ABBY, also examine the pitfalls of modern relationships.?Westfeldt is keenly aware of the issues that contemporary singles deal with as they seek to find harmonious unions.?In this regard, you might describe her as a Woody Allen for the 21st century.

Rob Edelman teaches film history at the University at Albany. He has written several books on film and television, and is an associate editor of Leonard Maltin?s Movie and Video Guide.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors, and do not reflect the views of this station or?its management.

Source: http://wamcradio.org/2012/03/19/rob-edelman-relationships/

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