Melissa Anderson

(2013-05-15 12:27:52)

A blonde-brunette buddy comedy with a charmless cast (Rachel Bilson plays the third roomie, a Christian virgin) and banter as flat as Deena's favorite no-strings imperative, "Bone and bolt."

Elizabeth Weitzman

(2013-05-14 20:12:23)

[Bosworth] brings some intriguing shadows to a movie that looks, upon first glance, to be a two-dimensional, post-"Sex and the City" romantic comedy.

Ben Sachs

(2013-04-16 04:38:17)

Set in Los Angeles, this unfunny comedy succeeds only in perpetuating the worst stereotypes about that city.

Prairie Miller

(2013-04-16 02:09:33)

A kind of Sex And The City: The Next Generation, the movie is a combo vivacious, tart, sweet and sassy 21st century sex romp that impresses with female screen sensibility on the edge. And its own wild opinionated take on roommates, romance and rubbers.

Fred Topel

(2013-04-14 17:58:13)

The movie I wanted Bridesmaids to be.

Diego Costa

(2013-04-14 09:52:33)

L!fe Happens wants us to believe its message is one of female independence and empowerment.

Richard Roeper

(2013-04-12 15:36:17)

If Krysten Ritter didn't already have a TV show, Life Happens would offer good material for an adaptation.

Todd Jorgenson

(2013-04-11 22:50:43)

The ensemble cast tries its best with generic material that offers little insight into contemporary relationships.

Mike Scott

(2013-03-26 12:18:32)

A girls-night-out comedy that strives to be the next Bridesmaids or Sex and the City -- but that never quite captures the spark of either.

VillageVoiceNY

(2013-03-25 23:09:51)

L!fe Happens

Best friends since college and current housemates, Kim (Krysten Ritter)and Deena (Kate Bosworth) fight, while entertaining dates, over whogets the last condom. One year later, Kim, who lost the battle, nowtotes her infant son on her back while on duty walking dogs and pickingup their turds. Deena, the victor, focuses on getting her self-helpbooks published, insisting, "This is a really, really exciting time forwomen"—though not for those sitting through this movie's 100 minutes.Co-written by Ritter and Kat Coiro, who makes her feature-directingdebut here...Read the full review here:http://www.villagevoice.com/2012-04-11/film/l-fe-happens-film-review/

Sara Stewart

(2013-03-16 16:54:21)

A likable concept that deflates into conventionality...

Chris Nashawaty

(2013-03-16 11:27:13)

A mildly amusing indie that's neither as funny nor as poignant as it wants to be.

(2013-03-16 13:13:03)

I am usually very judgmental about movies, and I loved it.

It was a gem.Don't let the naysayers steer you away. I haven't truly enjoyed a movielike this in a while. Give it a chance and make up your own mind. Theworst that could happen is you turn it off after a few minutes.The characters were smart, and even though it is a little predictable,it was smartly written. Great performances by Krysten Ritter and KateBosworth. I also enjoyed the strange character of Henri, and RachelBilson was both as ditsy and charming as you would expect.To be honest, I didn't find a single thing about it to be unlikable. Iwould recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good laugh and uniquecharacters that will leave an impression. 10/10

jeddjong

(2013-03-16 08:04:44)

A L!fe not worth living.

L!fe Happens is the latest in a string of chick flicks that aspire toshirk the norms associated with the genre by being more "realistic" and"relatable", presenting life as it, well, happens instead of hitting usin the face with a shirtless Matthew McConaughey. Notice the subversiveexclamation mark taking the place of the "i" in "life"? How clever!Doe-eyed Krysten Ritter, a quirky-cute girl in the Zooey Deschanelmould, plays the main character, Kim, and co-authors the screenplaywith director Kat Coiro.Kim and her housemate Deena (Bosworth) engage in a night of debaucherywith a guy they each bring home, but lo and behold there's only onecondom left, and Deena gets it. As a result, Kim gets pregnant andbecomes a single mum, living with Deena and other housemate, the ditzyLaura. Kim juggles motherhood with a job as a dog-walker working undermean boss Francesca (Kristen Johnson), and inadvertently lies about hermummy status to Nicholas (Geoff Stults), a cute guy she meets. Hilarityand drama supposedly ensue.Now wait a minute – forgive this reviewer if he's mistaken, but thatsounds exactly like sticking to chick flick norms. The movie tries sohard to have a hip, indie feel that it slides ever so noticeably downthe slippery slope into slickly-packaged, commercialised rom-comterritory. You've got the free-wheeling heroine who is suddenly saddledwith the responsibilities of single motherhood, the slightly bitchybest friend who also happens to be an advice columnist, thechain-smoking, wine-guzzling boss who treats the heroine like garbage,the hunky prospective love interest whom the heroine misleads and, lastbut not least, cute dogs.Despite having something of a plot, the movie unravels ratheraimlessly, like the cameraman is hanging around capturing stuff asthey, well, happen. The audience gets inundated with inane pop musicand the movie awkwardly lurches from comedy to drama. For example, Kimand Nicholas are in the middle of their requisite love scene whensomething, uh, happens – something that wouldn't be out of place in agross-out Farrelly Brothers comedy. The filmmakers milk (you'llappreciate the pun after watching the scene) the inherently comedicmoment for all the pathos it's worth – the couple argue, Kim stumblesout and drives home, confused, gets into a fight with Deena once shegets home and even gets an angsty bath complete with running mascara.All that's missing is Simple Plan in the background wailing "how couldthis happen to me?!" The characters are also paper thin, which isunfortunate as the film could have been infinitely better if we cared alittle more about them. Admittedly, Ritter is a watchable leading ladyand is plenty charming and likable as the protagonist, though one getsthe impression she might be better as a slightly meaner character, likethe one she now plays on TV in the sitcom Don't Trust the B--- inApartment 23. The bitchy-best-friend archetype has been done to death,and done better than Kate Bosworth's ham-fisted attempt. The scriptalso finds every excuse to put Rachel Bilson in skimpy outfits, andtakes a stab at satire when her character joins a reality TV show wherethe last virgin standing wins. Justin Kirk does manage to be quitefunny, even though the creepy, socially mal-adjusted character whodevelops an obsession with Deena has also been done to death.To its credit, the movie did elicit a few chuckles, if only because thehumour is so out of left field. When a non-sequitur hurtles out of thescreen, it's a fairly pleasant surprise – while the premise and thecharacters seem tired and a little old, the jokes don't. For example,Kim gushingly compares Nicholas to a Greek statue, when Deena remindsher that they are typically not very well-endowed and Kim'smother-and-baby yoga classmate shows her with a wacky, disturbingchildren's book she's working on.As hard as it wants to separate itself from the pack, L!fe Happenscan't shake off the time-honoured chick flick conventions it carriesaround on its back like Kim's baby Max. Ironically, if it weren'ttrying so hard, maybe it could have worked. But alas, that's life foryou.

hongsc

(2013-03-09 16:11:13)

Could Have Been Amazing!

Kate Bosworth was great in the movie. Krysten Ritter was great as well.Justin Kirk, who played Henri was great as well. And no he's notFrench. Rachael Bilson was amazing. They could have made a movie onjust her. From Valley of Dolls to America's Last Virgin. She wasawesome. So what went wrong? The script didn't have enough developmentin the relationships. Kim and Deena looked comfortable and their rapidfire exchange showed they had great chemistry but it didn't happenenough, which is why Bilson's character stood out the most since shedid it on her own. She was sweet, innocent, fun, kind, and sexy in asweet girl next door way. Then there's Nicolas and the baby. Why? Thestory centers around this for a good portion of the movie then Kimfinds herself. This could have been Bridesmaid fun. Instead it ends upbeing a movie that falls flat. It remembers me of Life as We Know Itand Friends with Kids. Both which are better than this. But I wouldlove to see Rachael Bilson, Kate Bosworth, Krysten Ritter, and JustinKirk do a spin off of sorts minus the baby and Nicolas. And JasonBiggs? Wasted effort.

Scott Tobias

(2013-03-09 06:05:43)

A case study in how bad movies can turn an ordinary, relatable situation into a grotesque distortion with only a passing resemblance to the way actual human beings live and interact with each other.

S. Jhoanna Robledo

(2013-03-02 00:32:36)

Mature parenting/dating comedy lacks substance, laughs.

Harvey S. Karten

(2013-03-01 04:33:13)

A screwball comedy with some wonderful originality.

Iqbali_Noodlepaste

(2013-02-21 15:12:39)

Rubb!sh is Produced

This was a hard movie to watch and I would not recommend it to anyonethat I know. I'm all for character studies, even of characters that arein one way or another hard to like. Amadeus comes to mind, as doesAmerican Splendor. The Lion In Winter is a character study of sorts, ofthe whole messed up royal family that movie portrays. TV's house issort of a character study. But those examples had something that thismovie did not. Actual character studies.Curmudgeons, jerks, petty people, you really don't have to like themain character to find a movie engaging. That being said, thecharacters in L!fe Happens were ones I thoroughly did not like. Yes,hipsters from the trendy Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles contendwith the demands of adulthood in this woman-powered comedy. When one ofthem gives birth to a baby, her roomie resolves to not let this newresponsibility hamper their lifestyle.So? Still, I'm left cold as a viewer, wondering why anyone cares. Andyes babies are cute. But the baby is offscreen a lot I guess there issupposed to be some conflict, but many people have boring days theydon't take to the next level, etc.This movie was nothing special, if you ask me, other than a highlyrecommended and lengthy waste of time.

DICK STEEL

(2013-02-20 18:02:50)

A Nutshell Review: L!fe Happens

The title says it all, when precautions aren't taken and risks weren'tevaluated, allowing the body to rule over the mind, and nine monthslater, life happens. As the premise goes, Kim (Krysten Ritter) decidedto go ahead with her one night stand anyway when housemate and friendDeena (Kate Bosworth) took the last piece of latex to fuel her owncarnal desires, and that lapse costs Kim dearly when she becomes mom toBaby Max (played by Connor and Zachary Ross). This becomes the comedictale of single motherhood, friendship, romance and the likes, a purechick flick that walks the path of one's horror story during a momentof indiscretion.Kim certainly isn't cut out to being a mother, clearly without a propersupport structure in place save for housemates Deena and Laura (RachelBilson), who between them juggle time to take care of Max in what wouldbe reminiscent of Three Men and a Baby. But of course this time jugglewrecks havoc on every one's lives especially when they're at thecrossroads of their individual profession, and having baby at homemeans less time outside for nights out, Directed by Kat Coiro who co-wrote the story with Krysten Ritter, whichthey claim had a lot of their individual characters and traits put intothe characters of Kim and Deena, Life Happens plays out the typicalinsecurities of the female, with the baby in it more for the gimmick.As the central character in which the film revolves around, Kim showsshe's not all that perfect, willing to "disown" her child Max so thatshe could have a shot at establishing a new relationship with Nicolas(Geoff Stults) whom she met at a party, and learnt fleetingly of hisdisdain for kids. And seriously her character is not all that likablegiven that innate crutch to push Max to just about anyone to babysit,while she schemes to get laid, to put it crudely.While the film also tried to show the prejudices faced by singlemothers and the many challenges they have to conquer, the story throwsin Deena as the blonde who gets all the fun, with a career that istaking of, and almost always in control over the relationships with theopposite sex. And the scene during the double date was one of the bestas it exposes just about how close and chummy both Kim and Deena are,and yet fully understanding each other's flaws and amplifying them justto spite the other. Cat fight, someone?The casting is a little bit strange and needed getting used to becauseeach of them don't really look too comfortable in their roles. KrystenRitter for the most parts looked like a dead ringer for Anne Hathaway,while Kate Bosworth struggles as the alpha-female Deena. Perhaps themost wasted of all characters here belonged to Rachel Wilson, who playsthe bimbo with questionable careers that don't seem to last, presentonly to lend her star power, and to play up on her character's naivetyduring her reality show participation as America's Last Virgin. Andwith this being a chick flick, the male characters were nothing morethan one dimensional caricatures mostly portrayed as perfect studs, orcads for not fulling understanding the plight of the woman.Don't look toward this film for that silver bullet instructionalmaterial on how to bring up a baby. It had some elements underlying itspoint that parenting is a full time job made all the more difficultwhen there is no support from a spouse, and literally sapping life outof oneself in the care and development of another human being. It'salmost similar in treatment to another single mom film titledMotherhood starring Uma Thurman, but this one had a lot more charactersinvolved in raising the baby, and having a bevy of good looking castsin a comedy always helps.