► Life as We Know It | C

In her latest flick at the box office, Katherine Heigl stars as a control freak and workaholic. Although drop-dead gorgeous, her character seems to always be unlucky in love. After walking out of 27 Dresses — I mean The Ugly Truth — I mean Life as We Know It, I couldn't help but realize I have probably spent close to $30 watching Heigl star in the same movie over and over again. A beautiful girl who can't get a date meets a perfectly tousled, handsome pig. The two feud and cannot stand each other from day one and trade cute insults with each other. Then they start to like each other. They kiss. They fight. They break up but are still in love and by the time the credits roll there is a happy ending.

Heigl and Josh Duhamel (Transformers) star as Holly and Messer, mutual friends of a young couple, played by Christina Hendricks (Mad Men) and Hayes MacArthur (She's Out of My League). The couple sets the pair up on a blind date and it's just a disaster. She finds him demeaning, and he finds her uptight and stuffy. Fast forward a few years — Holly and Messer are still in each other's lives, now as the godparents of Sophie, their friends' adorable baby. Unfortunately, when both friends perish in a car crash, Messer and Holly are left to raise Sophie. Life as We Know It follows the pair as they struggle with sudden parenthood.

Life as We Know Itcreeps along at a snail's pace. The sexual tension between Holly and Messer builds so slowly, I found myself wanting to scream at the screen "Just get together already!" Heigl and Duhamel make a cute couple and play off each other nicely, however, the supporting cast outshines Heigl and Duhamel at times. In particular, a group of nosy neighbors headed by Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls) and a social case worker (Sarah Burns, I Love You, Man) have several great one-liners.

Both Heigl and Duhamel are likeable enough, but not even their megawatt smiles can make up for the fact the Life As We Know It is extremely unrealistic — even for Hollywood. Are there parents even out there who fail to bring up legal guardianship with the designated legal guardians? Apparently, according to screenwriters Ian Deitchman and Kristin Robinson, there are. Life As We Know It has the plotline of a Lifetime movie, but at least you can watch Lifetime for free.

Overall, Life as We Know will make you laugh, say "aww," and maybe shed a little tear, but in the end, it's still just your mediocre romantic comedy. This film does nothing to separate itself from other romantic comedies of years past. After all, Life As We Know It has been done before and will be done again — probably, once again, starring Heigl.