Half of the ensemble cast from the 2011 comedy Bridesmaids, including Jon Hamm who plays a really big asshole, who navigate this screwy and raunchy tale of friendship, petty jealousies, and competition.
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An unmarried couple like the one in the 2009 comedy-drama Away We Go who are having a kid and are scared of losing what they like about their current lives but are ultimately determined to make it work.
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The 2012 sometimes-raunchy comedy Friends with Kids about a group of couple friends, including Jon Hamm who plays a really big asshole, in an unspoken competition to see who can successfully achieve love, happiness, and parenthood all at once. In the center of the film is two best friends who believe the best approach is to share the responsibilities of the child but remain platonic.
For me, Friends with Kids was a good film to watch unfold -a glimpse of how the insertion of kids may or may not affect one’s adult life - but had too cliche of an ending for me. However, it is one movie that I would still recommend anyone in the mood to laugh and/or examine the complexities of male-female friendships on screen.
I came across this idea after reading a post on Cinematic Corner so I decided to put my own spin on it and discuss some of the actual life lessons I have been taught by movies. These are things that when I turn off the TV or walked out of the theater, it made my think about how I live my life and/or affected how I think about certain situations. I want to do this as more of a series, spreading out this post over time so I hope you come back to read more. And of course, I always lean toward arthouse flicks as my movies of choice so this list will discuss all things independent. So sit back and read some of the little pearls of wisdom I have gained along the way…
1. There is a level of trust implied in telling someone your real name. [Closer]
2. You can be truly alone in a city full of people. [Shame]
3. You can’t run away from your past forever. Also, never assume how far along a pregnant woman is. [Away We Go]
4. Saturday morning detentions are a bitch. Plus, applying lipstick with your cleavage is a lost art form that I must master. [The Breakfast Club]
5. Humanity is so connected that your actions, no matter how inconsequential, can have an affect on someone of a different culture, a different language, a different societial status. [Babel]
6. Domestic partnerships are so much like traditional marriage, it’s scary. And beautiful. [The Kids Are All Right]
7. Music is the soundtrack of our lives, so play on. Also, the process of coming up with a name for a queercore dance band will always be pure comedy. Oh, and never get a car that can be mistaken for a taxi cab. [Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist]
8. There is more than one way to love a city. [Paris, Je t’aime]
9. Reality. truly. bites. Plus, lead singers of bands usually have alot of angst to get off their chests. [Reality Bites]
10. A picture can really be worth a thousand words. In some cases, it can even define a man’s whole life and leave him with too great of a burden to bare. [The Bang Bang Club]
Stay tuned for more…
