Most of us have heard something along the lines of "if you want to be happy, marry your best friend." It sounds so ideal- someone who understands us, already accepts us for who we are. The truth is our best friend never really had a chance. We are constantly looking for a spark to catch our attention, not for the qualities that really matter. It is our culture to want the latest and greatest, leaving our relationships to be rarely substantial where it counts. Intimacy is not in the physical attraction, rather intimacy comes from the sharing of your life so completely and unconditionally in a way you could only do with a true friend. Think about how often people have sex, wanting some kind of intimacy but it amounts to nothing.
The trouble is that contentment, which is much more important than over the top happiness, shows its beauty subtly- it forces us to be truly wise to appreciate it and not going looking for the next great thing. When I decided to rent Friends with Kids, I thought I knew exactly where the film was going, but I was wrong. I wanted a light hearted romantic comedy along the lines of Bridesmaids due to the cast line up. In fact, I felt slightly guilty for not choosing a more thought provoking film. I underestimated Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt's project. I laughed, cried, and ached for the characters. The film was insightful and human. Human in the sense that unlike the typical perfectly quirky characters or unreal scenarios we see in every other movie, there was a realness to the film provoking emotion that no typical blockbuster could.
