Gone are the days of the suits for a working dad or the sweats for a stay-at-home mom. These are the times of working mothers balancing the responsibilities of past expectations and present day realities. “I Don’t Know How She Does It” is a film that embodies the American values of family and hard work, transferring an age-old theme to the present day.
Step into the life of Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker): mother, wife and full-time working professional. Kate finds herself juggling the separate spheres of her life as her working life begins to pick up speed. When the opportunity to secure a new business deal arises, Kate’s life takes a turn as she struggles to cater to each of her roles effectively.
“I Don’t Know How She Does It” reveals the challenges mothers face in weighing career aspirations and assuming their once-expected roles as prime homemaker. The film captures the frustrations of the working parent, touching on the imbalance it can leave as a mother separates from the dynamics of the home life.
The heart of the film lies within the genuineness of both its plotline and characters. While “I Don’t Know How She Does It” primarily attracts parents, the plot also reaches a range of age groups. College students will identify with Momo Hahn (Olivia Munn), Kate’s post-grad assistant who lives by a work-is-life mentality. The older generation will relate to Kate’s mother-in-law, a compassionate woman unable to comprehend how Kate chooses to work rather than to stay at home with her children.
Parker blends a sense of warmth into Kate’s confident nature. Her character stands as an emblem of the revolutionized 21st century woman — a woman who meshes her passion for work, her joy as a mother and her role as a wife into one strong woman.
Greg Kinnear, who plays Richard Reddy, represents a break from Hollywood’s stereotypical husband of a breadwinner wife. Reddy, who also works a full-time job, wholeheartedly supports his wife, never once pulling the “you’re a woman, so why aren’t you with the kids?” card.
Director Douglas McGrath and writer Aline Brosh McKenna present the comedic, lighthearted film in a manner that at times mirrors reality TV shows. Side interviews with characters as well as freeze frames in which Kate steps out to speak directly to viewers provide the audience with multiple perspectives outside of Kate’s line of vision.
“I Don’t Know How She Does It” speaks to the challenges of the working parents among the values of a family, home life — a subject ever-relevant in this day and age.
So suits or sweats? Hell, 21st century gender norms say it’s the suit and the sweats for both mother and father.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
