"Thankfully, careful direction by feature film sophomore Greg Berlanti follows a tight screenplay by first-timers Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson, to deliver an unconventional romantic comedy baby story that leaves the likes of The Back-Up Plan to be thrown out with the bath water. Excusing the pretentious title, this movie makes a good way to laugh: and sing; your way through a couple of hours. The soundtrack is almost as cute and well suited as Juno. 4 STARS." Anders Wotzke CUT PRINT REVIEW "The movie pulls at your heart strings and takes some unexpected detours before arriving at a happy ending. This harmless, inoffensive movie is like junk food that provides a wellspring of comfort and warmth." Keith Cohen ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM "Sweet but not sappy, knowing but not cynical and familiar enough to satisfy but different enough to keep us on our toes." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER EXPRESS "I'm a sucker for babies, puppies and hot men. "Life as We Know It" has two out of three, so what more can a girl ask for?" Jeanne Kaplan KAPLAN VS KAPLAN "Thanks to smart casting and sharp direction this story of a mismatched pair thrown together to parent an orphaned baby is really quite funny and heartfelt." Pete Hammond BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE "Certainly the story is contrived in places and the tone only just manages to resurface after an early plunge, but if you're willing to go along with it and get involved, you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be at least a little charmed." Martin Roberts FAN ON FIRE

"What you may not expect is quite how satisfying much of the film is, with Duhamel turning out to be a very good sparring partner for Heigl, whose lush, soft exterior conceals a very spiky interior that tends to wilt her co-stars." Betsy Sharkey LOS ANGELES TIMES "A snappy and funny performance by Katherine Heigl is the best reason to see this romantic comedy." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE "It delivers exactly what you would expect, and nothing further; tears, laughter, romance, and plenty of cute baby moments." Alicia Malone FILMINK "It’s a note of hope that, just maybe, Heigl and Duhamel’s careers won’t be defined by their work of the past 3 or 4 years." Marshall Fine HOLLYWOOD & FINE "Basically, this is The Taming of the Shrew with an adorable-baby twist that never occurred to William Shakespeare." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST "Duhamel hits that sweet spot between eye candy and everydude as well as any actor working today, and his easy charm rubs off on Heigl." Thomas Leupp HOLLYWOOD.COM "A sweet and warm comedy that always brings its focus back to the laughs even when dealing with very real and serious relationship issues." Edward Douglas COMINGSOON "This is a change from what audiences have come to expect from the usual Heigl vehicle. She's quicker-witted and warmer than usual here, and she keeps Duhamel on his toes, even when the storyline drags its feet." Michael Phillips CHICAGO TRIBUNE

The Inside Story The original script, written by Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson, came first to the attention of producer Barry Josephson. "It was a wonderful screenplay that gripped me right away. It was entertaining and heartfelt, and had a strong hook. I also loved the concept, because it’s something that so many of my friends with kids have talked about. Who would be the best choice to take care of their child? A friend or a relative? Who would it be?" Josephson ("Aliens in the Attic" 2009) shared the screenplay with producer Paul Brooks, who found it "very relatable. And funny, and warm and affecting. I thought the characters were terrific, and the story felt so complete and so balanced; I laughed and cried in equal measure." Heigl evidently felt the same. "I’m such a romantic comedy fans. I love them, I go to see them in the theaters, and this one was really funny and, at the same time, had so much soul to it." Co-star Duhamel agrees. "I thought this script was special. The story was very funny, but also tragic and sad at the same time. In my opinion, those are the best movies." The idea for the story came from a conversation Deitchman had with his wife while she was pregnant with their daughter, in which the subject of guardianship came up. "We both jokingly said we should leave her to our friends Mike and Clara. Who knows us better?" Robinson recalls, "I laughed when Ian told me about that exchange, because I also know both Mike and Clara who, like Holly and Eric, are not a couple and have very different personalities. But we thought there could be great comedy in that, so that’s what we had to write next." "We also liked the fact that the opportunities for humor would be grounded in something emotional that we could run with, which appealed to us right out of the gate, "Deitchman adds. It appealed to Berlanti, whose produced "Green Lantern (2011), as well. "I was really drawn to the movie because the script cracked me up one moment, and just felt so real and raw the next. The most important thing for me is delivering an emotional experience, especially when you have a story that has so many conflicting feelings happening all at once." "Greg has an amazing ability to tell human interest stories, but in a way that isn’t soft and isn’t only geared toward either males or females," Duhamel said. "I really couldn’t have wished or hoped for a better director or someone more unbelievably collaborative. He was exceptional and just a funny, great guy who knows how to tell a mean story," Heigl stated. "Working with Greg was such a rewarding experience." "Greg completely embraced the project. If you look at the television shows that he has written, they deal with social issues, with conflicts, with how people interact with one another," Josephson explained. "Throughout the shoot, he made sure the chemistry was working but that the conflict was there." Everyone has a different plan for their perfect life. For Holly, it’s expanding her small, high-end boutique café into a restaurant, maybe even someday in multiple locations. For Eric, it is moving up from being a broadcast technician to a full-fledged director in national sports television. But life as we plan it is seldom life as we live it. Such is the case when Holly and Eric’s plans are put on hold by the sudden and tragic death of their mutual best friends, Alison and Peter. Holly and Eric have always tolerated, rather than enjoyed, each other's company, but now they find themselves co-guardians to the Novak’s baby girl, Sophie. Heigl, who stars as Holly, notes: "These two people are just thrown into this situation, and have to rise to the challenge and do the right thing. But to do so means they have to sacrifice a lot of their own dreams." Josh Duhamel, who stars opposite Heigl as Messer, adds: "They both love this little girl, and they both feel obligated to at least try to do what their friends wanted, even though they’re both going in completely different directions in their own "While they may not be able to see it that way at first, raising Peter and Alison’s child is a testament to this couple they both loved," Berlanti offered. "Holly and Eric are polar opposites," 2007 Emmy winner Heigl ("Grey's Anatomy") notes. "He's this sort of 'take it or leave it' guy: relaxed and kicked back, rolling with the punches; and she’s not." Her character on the other hand, has a business and a business plan. "She’s responsible, organized, scheduled, a bit obsessive compulsive. In her professional life and her personal life, she needs to know where things are heading; she’s not really a girl who can wing it." Josephson (who executive produced Tony Scott's "The Last Boy Scout ") says that, in all of Holly’s planning, she had not yet planned for a family, least of all an instant one. "She was not prepared for this at all. As a matter of fact, she was preparing for a completely different life. Now she’s trying to get her feet underneath her, and it’s not that easy. Katherine played that dilemma beautifully." "In addition to the story, the reason I wanted to be a part of the movie was to work with Katherine Heigl," Berlanti confessed. "I know how well she can do both comedy and drama, so for me she was sort of the personification of Holly." One thing the actress did have in common with her character was a love of the culinary arts. "I do love to cook, though I don’t get to do it as often as I’d like, "Heigl ("Knocked Up") revealed. "Once every six months or so I like to go all 'Martha Stewart' and throw a small dinner party for friends." Researching the role of a chef proved fruitful in her own life. "I learned how to properly chop and julienne vegetables, which saves a lot of time!" Heigl, who has an adopted daughter Nancy 'Naeligh' Leigh, was key in getting Duhamel on board as Messer. The friends had been hoping to work together for some time when "Life As We Know It' came their way. "I thought he’d be perfect for Messer, even though Messer is a bit of a scruffy, baseball cap t-shirt and jeans kind of guy and Josh is really polished. I just knew he should play this role." 2002 Daytime Emmy winner Duhamel ("All My Children") spent a lot of time discussing the character with his director. "Greg and I felt it would be easy to fall into the trap of just playing him as a charming womanizer who needs to learn about love, but we wanted him to be a lot more than that. We both felt that it was okay if he was unapologetic or says or does things that the audience may not like right away. Face it, guys can be like that." Like Holly, Messer is on a track to move up in his career, before things get derailed. "Josh Duhamel is too good-looking, has too much hair, is too tall, too nice, too charming, too good at what he does," Brooks deadpans. "Seriously, though, he was a bit of a revelation. Great instincts, great timing. And I think the chemistry between him and Katie was just brilliant." Berlanti couldn’t agree more. "Josh is one of those guys’ guys who men would want to hang out with and women love, which is exactly what we needed him to be in this role." 2003 Teen Choice Award winner Josh Lucas ("Sweet Home Alabama") plays the other man in Holly’s life, Sam. "There were Joshes everywhere on this film," says Berlanti, referring not only to two of his stars, but also to Heigl's husband Josh Kelly, who occasionally came to set. "You threw a rock, you hit a Josh," he joked. The filmmaker loved what Lucas brought to the role. "Josh Lucas is so inherently charismatic and likeable." At the center of the film’s romantic triangle is the person who has brought them all together: Sophie, left in their charge by Alison and Peter Novak, played by Christina Hendricks and Hayes MacArthur. The baby was played by triplets Alexis, Brynn and Brooke Clagett. While twins are frequently used to play one baby on screen, it is rare to find identical triplets. Josephson recalls their thinking: "Let’s increase our odds of getting all of the different emotions we need by having three babies play one." The girls were adored by cast and crew alike. "The wonderful thing about working with babies is just how natural they force all the other actors, and everybody around them, to be," Berlanti observes. "I think it brought a wonderful sense of realism to the scenes." Duhamel ("Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!") admits he loves being around kids. "I actually came to the production a week or so early in order to get to know the babies, so they would feel comfortable with me and we’d be able to bond a little." The timing of the shoot was unexpectedly serendipitous for Heigl ("The Ugly Truth"). "I was literally experiencing new motherhood on film at the same time I was experiencing it in my own life." The popular actress who made her bigscreen debut in the 1992 film "That Night" while attending New Canaan High School, wasn’t sure how it would be working with triplets, however. "At first I was really nervous, but by the time we got to their last day and we had to say goodbye, I almost started crying. I had grown so attached to them." While Messer and Holly are making their way through parenthood, they share not only parental duties, but a residence. As part of the arrangement to care for Sophie, they move into Peter and Alison’s house, where they become quite an attraction for their new and fairly nosy neighbors. "I would hope that most young parents have a support group of young parents or couples that are also kind of going through the same experience," Berlanti offered, adding with that in my mind he thought "Okay, let’s go out and get some real comedians to add to the humor of the situation." The filmmakers sought out several actors they knew could handle the art of improv and really add to the uniqueness of each character. "We got Melissa McCarthy, Andy Daly, Rob Huebel, Jessica St Clair, Will Sasso, Bill Brochtrup: all individuals who would be able to do their thing over and over again while I just let the cameras roll. What they brought to the film was immeasurable. Every time the neighbors show up on screen I know the audience is going to have a great surprise, yet everything they did fits right in with the tone of Holly and Messer trying to make it through this first year with Sophie." Both Heigl ("Bride of Chucky") and Duhamel ("Transformers") couldn’t have had more fun working with the ensemble. "They made the neighbors quirky, eccentric, silly, funny: but they were still real," Heigl ("27 Dresses") affirms. "No one went so broad that you couldn’t relate." Joining Holly and Messer at their respective jobs are DeRay Davis ("Barbershop 1 & 2") playing Holly's second-in-command and Reggie Lee ("Drag Me To Hell") as Messer’s boss. At home, Britt Flatmo ("Nic & Tristan Go Mega Dega") plays their babysitter Amy, while Sarah Burns ("I Love You, Man") plays a social worker assessing whether Sophie should live with her godparents. The filmmakers were thrilled with the entire cast. "I can’t remember a movie where I’ve had more fun every day, and that’s largely due to our cast," Josephson says. "They are terrific on screen, and we had very much the same vibe on set. Everybody seemed to love what they were doing and to be really passionate about their roles, big or small." What It's All About

Holly and Eric are about to embark on their first date. She's as pretty as a picture. Great dress, perfect makeup and smokin' hot. He looks like he's going away for a weekend with the guys. Even worse, he want to take her out to dinner, in a tight fitting red dress, on the back of his motor cycle. Holly isn't impressed and suggests they use her car. But tonight is not her night. Now he's on his cell phone lining up an after dinner date with another woman. Holly has had it. Who the hell does this slob think he is. Fed-up, she dumps him. It seems the only thing they have in common is a total dislike for each other: except for best friends Peter and Alison Novack. When Alsion gives birth to a daughter Sophie, Holly and Eric agree to become her Godparents. Then tragedy strikes: the Novacks are killed in a car crash. Now the most unlikely couple on the planet are handed the responsibility of raising Sophie. Career ambitions, competing social calendars and a baby means they will have to put their dislike for each other on hold.

The Verdict "When the ShoWest Convention 2010 (15-18th March) announced its annual award winners in Las Vegas, there were some pretty big name amongst the recipients. Todd Phillips, who has helmed films such as "The Hangover", "Starsky & Hutch" and "Old School" took Director of the Year. Jay Roach, who directed films such as "Meet the Parents", "Meet The Fockers" and "Austin Powers in Goldmember" got the gong for Comedy Director of the Decade. Zach Galifianakis received the Comedy Star of the Year, while prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose body of works includes "American Gigolo", "Flashdance", "Top Gun", "Armageddon", "Pearl Harbor" and "National Treasure 1 & 2", received a Lifetime Achievement Award. In the two major awards for acting ability, Australia's Sam Worthington, whose credits include "Avatar" & "Terminator Salvation", took Male Star of the Year. And guess who took out Female Star of the Year? Go to the head of the class if you said, Katherine Heigl. While winning this award may not have the clout of an Oscar ®, it is a significant achievement, because The ShoWest Convention USA is held by the National Association of Theatre Owners. Obviously no mugs, they know what's best for the box-office and what best attracts patrons to their theatres. In 1987 at the tender age of nine, Heigl started a modelling career. All went well until 1992 when she landed a part in the film "That Night". It was the start of a string of film and television appearances, culminating in 2005 when she landed the role of Dr Izzie Stevens in TV's "Grey's Anatomy". While it made her a household name and earnt her an EMMY in 2007, bigger fame and fortune was just around the corner. It started with Jud Apatow's 2007 smash hit comedy "Knocked Up". The dye was cast. "27 Dresses" (2008), "The Ugly Truth" (2009) and "Killers" (2010) followed. Heigl has won the admiration of millions of female fans and at just thirty one years of age, has plenty of gas left in the tank. She's the Queen of Rom/Com. Sure, her films are formulaic (handsome opposite attracts male characters, babies, laughs and romance), but they work. That's because, in the main, they reflect what many of us have experienced in real life. "Life As We Know It" is another winner. 4 STARS." Who's Playing Who?

Katherine Heigl Josh Duhamel Josh Lucas Alexis Brynn Brooke Hayes MacArthur Christina Hendricks Sarah Burns Jessica St Clair Brooke Liddell Kiley Liddell Britt Flatmo Rob Huebel Melissa McCarthy

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Holly Eric Sam Sophie Sophie Sophie Peter Novak Alison Novack Janine Groff Beth Older Sophie Older Sophie Amy Ted DeeDee

The Production Team

Director Writers Producers Original Music D.O.P. Film Editor Casting Production Design Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Design

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Greg Berlanti Ian Deitchman & Kristin Rusk Robinson Paul Brooks/Barry Josephson /Norm Waitt Blake Neely Andrew Dunn Jim Page John Papsidera Maher Ahmad Austin Gorg Cindy Carr Debra McGuire

Run Time 115 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Warner Bros - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.