IMDb plot summary: Seven years after the fact, a man comes to the realization that he was the sperm donor for his best friend's boy.
Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck. Starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Patrick Wilson, and Thomas Robinson.
Well, let me get this out there right away: The "child changes someone's life" movie genre is one of my very least favorite genres of all time. This one, however... wasn't terrible. Most of that was due to the child actor, who played his neurotic character very seriously and in a not-at-all cutesy way (thank goodness). He felt like a real kid, if maybe a little unusually intelligent for a six-year-old.
Jason Bateman and Jennifer Aniston are nicely matched here. Their characters are likable and their chemistry is believable. Like yesterday's viewing of How Do You Know, however, I found myself a bit more intrigued by the rejected boyfriend. Patrick Wilson's character and his eternal optimism is fascinating in comparison to Bateman's cynicism, and the scene where the two of them talk and Wilson doesn't even realize Bateman is snarking at him is one of my favorites.
The movie isn't great or anything. It rushes through quite a few of its emotional beats, and I don't really buy the abruptly happy ending, but if you're looking for a pleasant rom com, you could certainly do worse.
3 stars.
Flickchart: #821 out of 2133, below How Do You Know and above All That Jazz.
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