Visitors Review

Melissa Anderson 2013-05-22 04:37:16

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."

Iqbali_Noodlepaste 2013-05-21 08:56:03

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.

Todd Jorgenson 2013-05-20 23:36:45

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

ImAMovieNut 2013-05-20 14:11:52

Worth a shot!

I love that women are taking control of Hollywood and running the show.Krysten Ritter is adorable in anything she does. That reason alone it'sworth watching. She is by far giving all the seasoned actors a run fortheir money. Andrea Savage would come in second favorite here. She is so hilarious Idon't know why this girl isn't in more film and TV. Love her. It dragged along in a few parts but it was loaded with cool cameos andrecognizable faces. Theh cameos make up for the story dragging atpoints. Who doesn't enjoy seeing Kate Boswrth and Krysten Ritter for anhour. It entertained and made a rainy day movie date turn out good.

Justin Lowe 2013-05-20 06:08:49

Co-writers Coiro and Ritter fill in the schematic script with some juicy lines and amusing situations but never lock on to a consistent tone or thematic throughline.

Frank Swietek 2013-05-19 20:12:30

Not particularly good...but some may find it acceptable as an impoverished Los Angeles-set analogue to 'Sex and the City.'

Andrew Barker 2013-05-18 20:29:23

Its smattering of femme-centric gross-out humor [melds] into its scenester single-mother storyline about as gracefully as the odd exclamation point does into its title.

Rex Reed 2013-05-18 11:06:08

It all sounds dreadful, like the pilot for another brainless comedy series on network TV, but it grows on you.

wheat-633-778715 2013-05-17 07:56:30

I hated it

The thing is: so i get preggers... my life is over. I'm sorry, but tomy recollection, sex should be a choice. I think this whole movie isjust a waste of time. Of course things will change. Nothing funny cameof it, and it gives a terrible message to youth. Come on, I have a babybecause I cannot wait to find a condom and have sex.... OMG! my lifehas changed! not good writing. It was not believable. How about somemore hilarious hijinks of having a baby, instead of the inappropriate,"none of my friends want to hang out with me now that I have a baby....they are still of partying age, but I don't care... they should caterto my whims... because I had a baby... waaah" It wasn't funny, nor didit have good content.

S. Jhoanna Robledo 2013-05-17 03:55:28

Mature parenting/dating comedy lacks substance, laughs.

Elizabeth Weitzman 2013-05-16 00:30:38

[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.

DICK STEEL 2013-05-15 19:42:13

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.

Nick Schager 2013-05-14 20:30:54

Something happens here, but it isn't life.

Sara Stewart 2013-05-14 10:48:02

A likable concept that deflates into conventionality...

Mike Scott 2013-05-14 09:20:58

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.

Diego Costa 2013-05-14 01:08:31

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

Gary Goldstein 2013-05-11 14:33:47

First-time feature director Kat Coiro gives an oft-tread story a snappy new spin in the hip and enjoyable comedy "Life Happens."

Richard Roeper 2013-05-11 01:08:28

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

Tony Heck 2013-05-10 07:43:35

A very very funny movie that is a lot like an Apatow movie. A little chick-flicky but men will like too. I did. I say B+

"Nobody tells you it's gonna be so hard...Yes they do Kim, that'spretty much all people say." Kim (Ritter) and Deena (Bosworth) are bestfriends. They do everything together. One night when both bring home aguy they discover a problem. One year later they are still best friendsbut now Kim has a baby. Trying to balance work, friends and her lovelife all around being a single mother turns out to be harder then sheexpects. This is a very funny movie that is almost done like an Apatowmovie. The dialog is very witty and hilarious and keeps you laughingthroughout. The beginning of the movie made me feel (as a parent) alittle annoyed at Kim. It felt like she considered the baby a burdenand that she didn't really want him. Her feelings did change but thatpart did bug me a little. Other then that and the movie being a littlepredictable this was very very funny and I recommend this. You will notbe disappointed. I do have to say that this is more on the"chick-flick" side of comedies this will appeal to both men and women.I laughed all the way through. Overall, if you like the Apatow moviesyou will like this one too. I give it a B+.

Amy Biancolli 2013-05-09 18:14:08

Coiro ... mixes an off-beat premise and smart, spiky dialogue with the tired old rhythms of a standard romantic comedy.