Metacritic Movie Ratings
Friends With Kids Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 83

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum

  The observations about parenthood, pro and con, are quick and smart, and Scott effortlessly steals the show, softening Westfeldt's brittle cuteness.

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• 75

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  Friends With Kids takes a fresh and funny look at a familiar subject, with enough buoyant romance to satisfy audiences drawn to starry-eyed love stories and hopeful endings.

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• 70

  out of 100

  The Hollywood Reporter

  The co-screenwriter of "Kissing Jessica Stein" goes solo as writer and director with a romantic comedy that takes time to find its groove but steadily accumulates heart and humor.

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• 63

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert

  Friends With Kids is altogether too casual about parenthood, and that supplies a shaky foundation to a plot that's less about human nature and more about clever dialogue.

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• 60

  out of 100

  Variety

  Unfolds in a glib, familiar sitcom universe (think "Seinfeld" crossed with "Friends" sans ethnic flavor but with plenty of Judd Apatow-style crass patter about sex and body parts).

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• 50

  out of 100

  Los Angeles Times

  The mildly engaging, often exasperating feature poses a few good questions and offers some well-observed moments. Yet even as it zeros in on radical shifts in the mechanics and mores of parenthood, it sits quite comfortably in a well-worn romantic-comedy groove.

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• 50

  out of 100

  The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis

  The result is a talky, predictable, less-audacious-than-it-thinks romantic comedy.

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• 50

  out of 100

  The New YorkerAnthony Lane

  Some sign of mental reach would have been welcome, even if it extended only as far as their children. Indeed, given the title, it's remarkable how little space is granted to the offspring, who are introduced as excretory machines, sex-blocking irritants, and occasional simpering angels, but never as beings unto themselves. Any parents who see this movie should be warned about the final score: Friends 6, Kids 0.

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• 40

  out of 100

  Village VoiceMelissa Anderson

  Just as Friends With Kids compares unfavorably to Westfeldt's earlier effort, her cast members' previous projects further highlight this film's shortcomings.

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• 10

  out of 100

  Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern

  It's shrill in tone, awash in unexamined narcissism - kids are just pretexts for laughs, rather than objects of love - and afflicted by explosive verbal diarrhea. There's simply no base line of normal human activity, let alone intimacy, until the anticouple finally re-examines their anticommitment credo. By then everyone has been so selfish and dislikable that our commitment to the film is lost.

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