Kristen Ritter, Rachel Bilson and Kate Bosworth in a scene from “L!fe Happens.” (Photo courtesy of Stardust Pictures)

It’s hard to take a movie seriously when it has an exclamation point in its title. Perhaps that’s why director Kat Corio included the unnecessary exclamation in her film’s nameplate, because even she herself couldn’t take “L!fe Happens” seriously.

Slightly resembling last year’s much funnier female-driven comedy “Bridesmaids,” “L!fe Happens” tells the story of Kim, played by Kristen Ritter, and the struggles she endures after getting pregnant from a one-night stand.

Kim is the kind of character we are supposed to love. She’s quirky to a point where it’s cute and is self-depreciating in her humor.

Kristen Ritter, who will soon become a household name thanks to her new television show “Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23,” is perfect for the role Kim. However, the question poses itself, is Kim perfect for “L!fe Happens?” Long answer short: No.

Ritter also lends her talents to the film’s screenplay. However as it turns out, the film’s story is what needs the most work.

“L!fe Happens” reads more like a watered down sitcom pilot than it does a featured film.

The story thickens as the audience finds out that Kim only got pregnant after she and roommate Deena fought over the last condom in the house.

Nine-months-later, Kim’s night comes back to haunt her.

The remainder of “L!fe Happens” follows Kim as she navigates the choppy waters of being a young, single mother.

One of the biggest annoyances with “L!fe Happens” (besides its sucky title) is Rachel Bilson’s flighty, underdeveloped character Laura.

Laura’s plot is a combination of small stories and odd jobs that ultimately stress the fact that Bilson’s character is as smart as a pile of rocks.

Corio and Ritter had a talented actress on their hands but by giving Bilson such an empty character the two writers transformed their movie from a potential female-led hit to a swing and a miss.

For such an undeveloped movie, “L!fe Happens” has the potential to be the perfect girl’s night movie, but falls short in the long run.

In a post – “Bridesmaids,” audiences can expect to see more movies like “L!fe Happens.”

However, when a female-led comedy is done correctly, it can lead to major laughs. In “L!fe Happens” case, characters fall flat, story lines go nowhere and the ultimate result is something even a mother can’t be proud of.

If this critic can make a small written plea it is that exclamation points, question marks and any other unnecessary punctuation be left out of movie titles.

It didn’t work with “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!” and it definitely doesn’t work with “L!fe Happens.”