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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Life As We Know It (Film)

by Alicia Malone | October 19, 2010 15:08 | Edited October 19, 2010 16:10

Formulaic rom-com that does not stretch the talents of anyone involved.

Life As We Know It is a formulaic romantic comedy that ticks all the boxes for those who love the genre, but offers little for those who don't.

 

Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is an excellent chef who runs a popular café with plans to expand into a restaurant. Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a ladies man who works as a technical director for live sports telecasts. The two are quite different, but their married best friends, Peter (Hayes MacArthur) and Alison (Christina Hendricks), think they could work as a couple, so pair them on a disastrous blind date. Tragedy strikes when Peter and Alison die in a car accident, leaving their young baby Sophie in the not-so-capable hands of Holly and Eric, her godparents.

 

This sad circumstance is treated as merely a plot device to get this odd couple together, and the blend of tragedy and comedy is jarring. Little time is spent mourning the death of their friends; instead the film delivers slapstick and predictable jokes.

 

Holly is the same type of character we've seen Heigl play before (The Ugly Truth, Knocked Up), and apart from a few extra tears, she doesn't stretch her acting skills here. Josh Duhamel (Transformers) is a lot more fun to watch, and though he is relegated to eye candy, he does it with an easy charm and comic timing. There are also funny moments with social worker Janine (Sarah Burns), cab driver Walt (Faizon Love) who doubles as a babysitter, and Josh Lucas is sweet as Sophie's good-looking doctor.

 

Unfortunately, Life As We Know It never deviates from the romantic comedy guidebook. It delivers exactly what you would expect, and nothing further; tears, laughter, romance, and plenty of cute baby moments, awkwardly wrapped in a tragic situation.