Katherine Heigl seems content to exist in a sort of Ashton Kutcher middling ground when it comes to her film choices- which of course included a team-up with Mr Demi Moore on Killers- making untroubling, and largely fluffy rom-coms on the back of her pleasantly received work on Grey's Anatomy and Knocked Up. It seems that Hollywood sees Heigl as a slightly cookie, pretty head to pin films like 27 Dresses and The Ugly Truth on, in which she plays a bit of an emotional flake with a big heart, which is probably why she was front of the queue when it came to casting someone alongside
Josh Duhamel in
new to Blu-ray rom-com
Life As We Know It. This is pretty much as formulaic as rom-coms go; we get the same four phases that we always get in these cases, starting with tension, going through the birth of love, and then finally reconciliation. And as such, every plot "revelation" is painfully obvious, and arrives about twenty minutes after you discover for yourself that its going to. The "twist" of course is the conceit that there is a baby thrown into the middle of it, making their worlds implode. How very bloody irresponsible to leave your cherished child in the hands of two people who fundamentally can't get on at the most basic level! But that is sort of the tale of Life As We Know It- it lacks any kind of authenticity at all. Logic is certainly not its strong suit, and it is no accident that the only character to display anything approaching logical thought-
Josh Lucas' paediatrician - is dispensed with fairly easily as the villain of the piece.
While it is mostly entirely illogical, and relies on the conceit that the power of the Will is total (so it is at least mostly dedicated to its illogicalness) to the point where Messer and Hollie are
forced to live together despite their own free will, the film lets itself down even in those terms during the second act, because it so flippantly allows Messer to break the terms of the Will. That's a sloppy drop of the ball, but it confirms that the film positions authenticity as the lowest of its priorities. I love rom-coms- they are beautifully escapist when they're done well (which is why Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally are both perennial mainstays in my Top Ten Films), but I hate certain of the stereotypical and established quirks that sneak through into way too many of them. Take this film for instance- why is it that a turbulent couple's revellations that they are better off together are inevitably revealed to them through some objective third party. So someone telling them that they make "a cute couple" before they inevitably get together, or someone else commenting that they make "a beautiful family" at just the right moment during the period of tension to make the decision for one of the couple. I'm trying to be as non-spoilerish as possible, but these are moments that happen all the time in films like this, and it is starting to wear thing even for me. One more thing- why is it that in films like this it is invariably the man who is forced to change their lifestyle in order to accommodate the woman's demands or her differing lifestyle. Men are invariably the villains, hence Messer being the one who openly expresses doubts about his responsibilities and "takes the easy way out". Rom-coms never feature the idea that a woman can be the problem, or that she could be the one to change, because that would surely be seen as no more than negative reinforcement of the supremacy of masculinity, and the unspoken tyranny of the patriarchal hegemony that underlines all major societies of the world. See how ridiculous that sounds? So why don't we ever have it the other way?
The acting isn't terrible, and Duhamel and Heigl have an easy chemistry about them that sweetens the terrible script somewhat, but their performances are very much in spite of that script, which seems to value poop jokes as the pinnacle of comedic achievement. I'm a big believer that a rom-com lives and dies on the strength of its characters, both in terms of performance and writing, which is why I hated Love & Other Drugs earlier this year: simply putting two characters in a situation that will test them and inevitably lead to a blossoming romance is not enough. Sadly, Life As We Know It has far too much faith in the power of its conceit, rather than presenting a strong script that values a dynamic between the characters a bit higher, which is a shame given Heigl and Duahmel's chemistry. Okay, so it's probably a chick flick (as annoying as that classification is), but I'm a rom-com fan as I say, so I should be able to take some enjoyment from this. Sadly, the film doesn't have a great opinion of men, and bases the majority of its humour on parental versions of Frat Boy jokes (which can all be filed under either "being drunk", "being stoned" or "poop"), rather than in the situational and ridiculous things that couples usually do to and with one another during the formative stages of their relationship. When Harry Met Sally was the perfect example of that approach, and with films like this representing modern rom-coms, it is obvious that that crown will go unchallenged for some time yet.
Quality
Nothing huge to report either way. Colours are warm, thanks to the over-saturation that now seems synonymous with American rom-coms, though whites tend to be a bit blown out, and the facial tones are a touch on the Oompah Loompah side. Detail is reasonable enough, but there is obviously some kind of soft focus filming going on- in the manner of Grey's Anatomy and CSI- that hides fine detail in some brighter scenes (perhaps Heigl and Duhamel are wary of their wrinkles?). It's typical modern rom-com stuff, and fans of the genre will no doubt be happy, though I'm personally getting a little annoyed at the overindulgence and the oversaturation.
Rom-coms are about relationship dynamics, so it is pleasing to note that the transfer prioritises dialogue well and presents it perfectly clearly and crisply. The musical track sound good too, without ever becoming invasive, which again is pleasing without being spectacular. And that's that really- it's an unspectacular sound transfer, or unextraordinary in better terms, but it does its job pretty immaculately.
Extras
A few bits and pieces, but everything feels a bit too much like promo material for my liking, and there isn't really anything that offers an insight into the film-making process. Come on, how long does it take to do a commentary? Two hours at most, and yet a lot of films still skimp on their Extra Features by not bothering to do one. Deleted Scenes (17 mins) A Survival Guide to Instant Parenting (7 mins) Katherine Heigl: Becoming the Best Mom Ever (7 mins) Josh Duhamel: The Triplet Tamer (7 mins) Life As We Know It is available to buy on
Blu-ray and
DVD now.