Life As We Know It

I give this: 7/10 Lee's

Life As We Know It is a 2010 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Greg Berlanti, starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It was released on October 8, 2010, after sneak previews in 811 theaters on O

Director: Greg Berlanti
Running time: 115 minutes
Screenplay: Ian Deitchman, Kristin Rusk Robinson
Genres: Romantic comedy, Romance film, Comedy-drama, Drama film, Comedy film
ctober 2, 2010.


It is said that when life gives you lemons – you make lemonade. But what if life gives you a baby and a life you never planned? What then? This is the question that is asked to the two characters Eric (Josh Duhamel) and Holly (Katherine Heigl).  Have you ever been put into a situation where you know that from here on out, everything is going to be different, your whole life will never be as you planned.
 This hearty comedy-drama asks you that very question and I guess everyone has a different answer because we all have different situations, but still - the question is asked. The two lead characters meet for the first time as part of a hook up “scheme” by their best friends who are in love and who are planning a lifelong marriage together, but the two lead characters soon find out that they are the godparents and legal guardians to Sophie, the friends’ daughter who passes away in a car accident. The subject matter is handled so well by director Greg Berlani, who seems to have had every shot in every scene perfectly planned out and where nothing went wrong – even though they were working with a baby in every scene. Technically this film is flawed but what it lacks in technical it sure makes up elsewhere. The performances from all the actors are top class with a few kinks here or there you see past it all and continue focussing on what will happen next – from the annoying neighbours to the uninvited social worker who just rocks up unannounced for a spot visit just to see how everything is going and if the living environment is good for the orphaned baby. 

Katherine Heigl, who has now become one of the top grossing actors in Hollywood, portrays her role as the lost and found best friend / unexpected mother so well. But the one person who has little moments of brilliance is Transformers star Josh Duhamel – every now and then you want to hit him, but you soon realize that he is doing exactly what you would be doing given the situation they are in. The film has twists and turns from the first frame and you enjoy each and every one of those moments, never fearing that the characters won’t be able to make it… this in turn can also be seen as bad script writing, because you want them to fail and fail miserably, but then again, you do want them to succeed and that, they do!

This is a definite watch if you are experiencing major changes in your life – it gives you that sense of, “it can only get better from here”, and even if you just want to have a quiet night in, and you want to do nothing else, pop it in, relax and enjoy!