Can a woman really have it all? That's the central question of I Don't Know How She Does It, a domestic comedy hitting theaters Friday. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate Reddy, a 40-something superwoman who's (barely) juggling the demands of motherhood, marriage, and career. Of course, the same question was at the heart of Sex and the City, the HBO comedy in which Parker played Carrie Bradshaw, a 30-something woman struggling to balance love, friendship, and her job. Does Parker's latest Carrie-esque character work?
It's Carrie redux — but Parker rises above it: Kate, played affably by Parker, obviously echoes Carrie Bradshaw, says Michael Rechtshaffen at The Hollywood Reporter. And, yes, the sitcom-like parenting gags and direct-to-camera monologues evoke TV shows like Sex and the City. But Parker's "unforced, amusing" physical comedy and deft handling of the "heavier, more introspective dilemmas" make this conventional film enjoyable.
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