DENVER, Sept. 16, 2011 - Did you know some women manage to juggle a career, a marriage and children without losing their minds?
It’s true, and we’ve finally got a movie to celebrate it.
“I Don’t Know How She Does It” finds the aforementioned superwoman a new breed, even though women have been juggling multiple roles for some time. What the film lacks in freshness it makes up for in warmth and star chemistry.
It may not be cutting edge, but it’s a cut above your average chick flick.
Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate, a happily married mother of two who just scored the chance to pitch a new deal for her investment firm. But the project will require her to work even more hours than she normally does and jet off to different cities at a moment’s notice.
Her understanding hubby (Greg Kinnear) couldn’t be happier for her, but he changes his tune when he sees the impact her absence has on their family.
Meanwhile, Kate’s new business partner (Pierce Brosnan) discovers he connects with her on more than merely a professional level.
“I Don’t Know How She Does It” makes the mistake of having Kate narrate portions of her story, an annoying reminder of Parker’s “Sex and the City” character. But the slender actress is talented enough to chase away any thoughts of Appletinis and Manolo Blahniks. She finds Kate’s inner tiger without sacrificing her parental side.
Consider a wonderful moment when Brosnan’s character watches with admiration as Kate sings her child a lullaby over the phone.
Director Douglas McGrath (“Emma”) is forced to work around a few strained set pieces, like when Kate adjusts her skirt while waiting for her new partner’s web cam to fire up. But for much of the film McGrath lets the relationship hiccups breathe as they might in real life. It’s a sharp contrast to most romantic comedies which bludgeon audiences with a toxic combination of cute and clever.
The film trots out a few risky comic devices, like characters breaking the fourth wall and sharing their own thoughts on Kate’s plight. These sequences provide the film’s biggest laugh lines, but they could have been air lifted out without degrading the story.
Brosnan proves yet again what a game performer he can be, particularly when his stuffy character lets himself go during a bowling match. Kinnear’s role cries out for more depth, but the actor’s natural warmth blankets over those concerns.
The narrative touches on meatier topics with a delicate touch, from gender politics to the roles women fill in the modern workplace.
“I Don’t Know How She Does It” ultimately celebrates the romance between a husband and wife and the chores which threaten their marital bonds. That it does so with respect and a whiff of intelligence is a rare and welcome treat.
Christian Toto is a veteran journalist and film critic whose work appears in The Denver Post, Box Office Magazine and PajamasMedia.com. His movie reviews are heard on WTOP radio and "The Dennis Miller Show," and he blogs on film at What Would Toto Watch? Read more of Christian's work at Movies in Toto in the Communities at the Washington Times. You can also follow him on Twitter.
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