For a film that appeared to have a high potential to
accidentally turn into Sex and the City:
Mom Edition, I Don't Know How She
Does It does the exact opposite. Sure, you can draw comparisons since Sarah
Jessica Parker stars in both, but that's basically the extent of it. She plays
a busy working mom juggling kids, a husband, and a budding career. The film
follows her through a short period of time, highlighting the key moments while
avoiding the plot pitfalls that could have plagued it "“ for the most part,
anyway.
Some of the most refreshing and hilarious parts of the film are when the on-screen
characters seem to be answering questions from an interviewer. These moments
are well placed and keep the story fresh and moving while simultaneously
endearing some characters to me. Interestingly, these scenes often point out
the differences of being a working father and a working mother. Thankfully the film avoids the
potential for being overly political and just manages to poke fun while showing
a different perspective to the situation.
The film also uses a few moments to break the fourth wall
and address the audience directly. I think one or the other of these techniques
would have worked; I'm not sure I like having both within the same film. I can
totally see how this would work as a book, which is logical since the film is
adapted from the best seller by Allison Pearson, though I can't attest to how faithful
the film actually is to its main source.
The casting in this movie is surprisingly brilliant. Olivia
Munn's character is probably one of my favorites, and despite her seemingly
flat character, she provides several of the film's most amusing moments.
Christina Hendricks plays a single mom hilariously and acts as a great foil to
Sarah Jessica Parker's Kate. I didn't think that Parker's performance was all
that different from other films I've seen her in, but she still portrays her
character believably and with all due comedy. Some of it is probably more understandable for an actual
mother, but I could identify and completely understand and laugh at different situations
because I am a woman.
