Title: I Don’t Know How She Does It

Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear

Adapting a popular novel, particularly one that is filled with social commentary and has been described as the “national anthem for working mothers,” into a film has never been an easy task. However, director Douglas McGrath has naturally brought the story of working mother Kate Reddy, the main character of the critically and commercially acclaimed book ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ by Allison Pearson, to life in the new film of the same name. While the story mainly focuses on Kate’s inner struggle and conflict to succeed as a working mother, everyone will be able to connect with her desire to do her best in her career and with her family.

‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ follows Kate (played by Sarah Jessica Parker), a woman struggling to balance her rising financial investment career with her hectic personal life. Kate loves her job as an investment manager at the Boston satellite of a New York-based financial firm, for which she travels frequently. However, her husband, Richard (portrayed by Greg Kinnear), and their two young children, Emily (played by Emma Rayne Lyle) and Ben (portrayed by twins Theodore and Julius Goldberg), become upset that Kate repeatedly misses their activities and family time for work.

Kate’s family becomes even more distraught when her proposal for a new investment fund is chosen by the firm’s main boss, Jack Abelhammer (played by Pierce Brosnan), to be pitched to a major client, meaning she’ll be spending more time away from home. Of her busy life, Kate’s friends, including fellow working mother Allison (portrayed by Christina Hendricks), as well as her colleagues, such as her workaholic, child-phobic associate Momo (played by Olivia Munn), all repeatedly say “I don’t know how she does it.”

The comedy, much like Pearson’s beloved debut novel, appeals to everyone, even people who don’t have children. Through comedy, the film provides a social commentary on modern American life-everyone is struggling to find a perfect balance between launching their careers and having a fulfilling personal life. Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna succeeded in bringing Kate’s inner struggle to succeed in all aspects of her life to the screen; McKenna has said she was attracted to the story because it’s a great depiction of the highs and the lows of trying to balance home life with a rising career.

‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ also provided a truthful, disheartening look into the struggles mothers face in the work place, particularly in the world of finance. While women have made great strides in the field, Kate shows that her status as a mother gives her a double standard. While working fathers are celebrated when they commit to raising their children, working mothers are vulnerable to being questioned about their commitment to their jobs.

The script also succeeds in showing a working mother’s struggle to maintain a healthy balance by including a voice-over by Parker. Kate continuously describes how she makes lists about what she has to do to help keep her family and home running, much to Richard’s disdain. He feels the only healthy way they can raise Emily and Ben is if she stops making lists and actually stays home more often, but Kate initially feels the lists are working. Her thoughts on the lists began to change after she begins to feel guilty that she enjoys going to New York, so that she can focus solely on working. But it’s not until Kate keeps seeing Richard and Emily’s disappointment after she frequently flies to meet Jack that she realizes she has to change her lifestyle to save her family.

McGrath made the right decision in hiring Parker to portray Kate. While she’s known for her role of fashion and career-obsessed Carrie Bradshaw in ‘Sex and the City,’ the actress was able to convincingly play the busy mother who’s struggling to find the right balance between work and home. Parker, who has three young children with husband Matthew Broderick, still effortlessly appears in films, and has worked for such groups as UNICEF to help people around the world in need. Parker works hard to keep her family out of the public eye, and she naturally brought her protective, maternal mentality to the role.

While ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ is essentially a comedy, the film’s excellent social commentary proves the hardships everyone has to overcome to balance their personal and professional lives. While everyone wants to be remembered for their contributions to their respective career, Kate proves that everyone has to find a balance between their jobs and family. The casting of Parker, a working mother and wife who has managed to find a balance between her career and family, perfectly highlights the movie’s important message.

Technical: B

Written by: Karen Benardello