Friends with Kids
Encyclopedia
Friends with Kids is an independent American ensemble comedy that is written, produced, directed by and also starring Jennifer Westfeldt
. Her partner Jon Hamm will also star in the movie, along with Kristen Wiig
, Adam Scott
, and Megan Fox
. Shooting began in 2010 in New York.
. This will be her directorial debut. Her partner, actor Jon Hamm, also agreed to play a supporting part and help produce her feature film. The idea for Friends With Kids had been floating around after Westfeldt and Hamm noticed that friends were starting to have families and 'all but disappearing from their lives.' Cast member Adam Scott
admitted that the couple's suspicion was not baseless, as he has been "the worst friends" to them as he is "so busy" after getting married and having children. She was encouraged to move forward with her idea after an informal reading of the screenplay took place at her and Hamm's home in late 2010.
It was always planned that Hamm would star in the movie, but in a role where he would not be paired-up with his real-life partner. However, this left only a few months open between when Hamm finished doing the fourth season of Mad Men and would resume for a fifth to get Friends with Kids off the ground and ready to shoot. According to one of the producers, resources for the production were easy to find. "The impossible algorithm is to line up the cast, the calendar and the cash in such a way that you get to make the movie,” said co-producer Joshua Astrachan. "It just never is that easy to put an independent film together."
Principal photography
lasted for four weeks, beginning in New York during December 2010 and carrying out into early 2011. With a budget of less than US$10 million, Friends with Kids was made through Westfeldt and Hamm's new production company, Points West Pictures, and a large portion of it was financed by Red Granite Pictures. The latter had never previously financed a movie. The biggest goal set for Friends With Kids is to get it shown at a film festival and sold to a distributor. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Friends with Kids is looking into an April 2012 release date in theaters. On September 21, 2011, Lionsgate
announced that it had acquired the distribution rights to the film.
Jennifer Westfeldt
Jennifer Westfeldt is an American actress and screenwriter known for the hit 2001 independent film Kissing Jessica Stein, which she co-wrote with Heather Juergensen and in which the two women starred.- Early life :...
. Her partner Jon Hamm will also star in the movie, along with Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
, Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
, and Megan Fox
Megan Fox
Megan Denise Fox is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a regular role on Hope & Faith. In 2004, she launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen...
. Shooting began in 2010 in New York.
Plot
The plot of Friends with Kids revolves around a pair of best friends in their 30s who observe the effect of having kids has taken on the couples they know. To avoid that toll, the best friends resolve to have a child and then date other people.Cast
- Adam ScottAdam Scott (actor)Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
and Jennifer WestfeldtJennifer WestfeldtJennifer Westfeldt is an American actress and screenwriter known for the hit 2001 independent film Kissing Jessica Stein, which she co-wrote with Heather Juergensen and in which the two women starred.- Early life :...
as Jason and Julie, the main couple - Kristen WiigKristen WiigKristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
and Jon Hamm as Missy and Ben, another supporting couple - Megan FoxMegan FoxMegan Denise Fox is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2001 with several minor television and film roles, and played a regular role on Hope & Faith. In 2004, she launched her film career with a role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen...
as Mary Jane, the woman that Scott's character begins dating after splitting with his wife. - Maya RudolphMaya RudolphMaya Khabira Rudolph is an American actress, comedienne and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2000 to 2007, and for appearing in films such as Away We Go, Bridesmaids, Grown Ups, A Prairie Home Companion and MacGruber...
as Leslie - Chris O'DowdChris O'DowdChris O'Dowd is an Irish comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Roy Trenneman in British sitcom The IT Crowd...
as Alex - Edward BurnsEdward BurnsEdward Fitzgerald Burns is an American actor, film producer, writer and director.-Early life:Burns was born in Woodside, Queens, New York, the son of Molly , a federal agency manager, and Edward J. Burns, a public relations spokesman and police officer. He was raised a Roman Catholic...
as Kurt
Production and release
Friends with Kids is directed, written, produced and also starring Jennifer WestfeldtJennifer Westfeldt
Jennifer Westfeldt is an American actress and screenwriter known for the hit 2001 independent film Kissing Jessica Stein, which she co-wrote with Heather Juergensen and in which the two women starred.- Early life :...
. This will be her directorial debut. Her partner, actor Jon Hamm, also agreed to play a supporting part and help produce her feature film. The idea for Friends With Kids had been floating around after Westfeldt and Hamm noticed that friends were starting to have families and 'all but disappearing from their lives.' Cast member Adam Scott
Adam Scott (actor)
Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
admitted that the couple's suspicion was not baseless, as he has been "the worst friends" to them as he is "so busy" after getting married and having children. She was encouraged to move forward with her idea after an informal reading of the screenplay took place at her and Hamm's home in late 2010.
It was always planned that Hamm would star in the movie, but in a role where he would not be paired-up with his real-life partner. However, this left only a few months open between when Hamm finished doing the fourth season of Mad Men and would resume for a fifth to get Friends with Kids off the ground and ready to shoot. According to one of the producers, resources for the production were easy to find. "The impossible algorithm is to line up the cast, the calendar and the cash in such a way that you get to make the movie,” said co-producer Joshua Astrachan. "It just never is that easy to put an independent film together."
Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
lasted for four weeks, beginning in New York during December 2010 and carrying out into early 2011. With a budget of less than US$10 million, Friends with Kids was made through Westfeldt and Hamm's new production company, Points West Pictures, and a large portion of it was financed by Red Granite Pictures. The latter had never previously financed a movie. The biggest goal set for Friends With Kids is to get it shown at a film festival and sold to a distributor. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Friends with Kids is looking into an April 2012 release date in theaters. On September 21, 2011, Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
announced that it had acquired the distribution rights to the film.