LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Usually you don’t want to die just to prove to your friends that you were totally right to set them up on that awful blind date.

When you think about it, there are few things more irresponsible in life than making your two completely incompatible friends the guardians of your child in the event of your death. Really, it’s a recipe for disaster. How exactly are these two supposed to coexist harmoniously enough to create a decent living environment for your kid? Is this some twisted beyond-the-grave eff you to the two people you claimed to love the most? Because I’m telling you, it’s a sucky idea, unless, of course, you happen to be a Hollywood movie.

Regardless of its half-assed premise and the annoying Katherine Heigl, Life as We Know It is a surprisingly tolerable romantic comedy about two of the most mismatched co-parents you could ask for. Holly (Heigl) is an organized, independent lady with her own business, and Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a sloppy, womanizing network sports director. A blind date organized by their best friends never made it past the curb, and the two have been exchanging salty insults at social events ever since. Their hostility finally takes a back burner to tragedy when their friends are killed in a car accident and they are left in charge of their goddaughter, Sophie.

What follows isn’t exactly fascinating fare, but somehow the movie remains relatable and lighthearted enough to keep its head above water. Both Holly and Messer struggle with the loss of their old lives (though not very much), and for the most part, they’re pretty darn tolerant of one another. Sophie is cute enough to eat for dessert, and their domestic antics are actually reasonably endearing. Tensions only rise when the two begin to fall for one another, or, as they put it, begin to turn into their friends. (Ew.)

It’s no big mystery that the unlikely couple will fall deeply in love and live happily ever after with Sophie. Their friends, of course, knew that they were perfect for one another all along...and that’s pretty much the creepy part. Usually you don’t want to die just to prove to your friends that you were totally right to set them up on that awful blind date. Even so, Life as We Know It is far less cloying than it could be, and makes for pleasant enough viewing.

DVD & BLU-RAY NOTES

The DVD includes 15 additional and extended scenes, plus the Blu-Ray includes featurettes "A Survival Guide to Instant Parenting," and interview with the actress "Katherine Heigl: Becoming the Best Mom Ever," and the actor "Josh Duhamel" The Triplet Tamer."

Life As We Know It is also available now On Demand and For Download: http://bit.ly/f0FI2q