Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Kathryn Hahn, Mark Linn-Baker, Lenny Venito, Molly Price and Jack Nicholson
Directed By: James L. Brooks
Written By: James L. Brooks
Produced By: James L. Brooks, Paula Weinstein, Laurence Mark and Julie Ansell
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG-13, for sexual content and some strong language.
Running Time: Approximately 113 minutes
Website: howdoyouknow-movie.com
Budget: $120 million
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Release Date: December 17, 2010
After watching James L. Brooks’ latest big-screen effort, it’s apparent that he – the mastermind behind such memorable films as 1983’s Terms of Endearment, 1987’s Broadcast News and 1997’s As Good As It Gets as well as revolutionary TV shows like “The Simpsons” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” – has lost some of his mojo.
How Do You Know casts Oscar winner Witherspoon as professional softball player Lisa, a true go-getter and team player in every sense. She’s well-liked by her teammates, but at the ripe old age of 31, she’s cut from the team because she’s deemed past her prime (the more likely scenario is that the medal-winning Olympian was cut as a cost-saving measure, another casualty of the economic downturn).
Lisa’s life has been largely defined by her athletic prowess and all the inspirational phrases in the world – and is she ever a fan of them – just aren’t enough to fill the void. So after a one-night stand, she impulsively enters into a relationship with Matty (Wilson), a major league baseball player who’s unapologetic wanton ways and self-serving outlook on life at first offend Lisa. Then, wonder of wonders, she makes some sort of peace with it, which in turn makes her the one girl he can conceivably entertain settling down with. Despite his reputation as a lothario, Matty is a good guy at heart.
So is George (Rudd), a neurotic, by-the-books businessman who’s blindsided when he’s sued by the U.S. Government for stock fraud. Completely innocent of the charges, George’s neurosis kicks into overdrive when he’s also dumped by his girlfriend. His predicament is further complicated by his unscrupulous boss and father, Charles, played by Brooks alum Jack Nicholson.
One of Lisa’s former teammates attempted to set her up with George just before their individual crises started; of course it went nowhere fast. However, when depressed George calls heartbroken Lisa and proposes they go out, she agrees to meet him for dinner and the two complete opposites find common ground and hit it off.
Sadly, Witherspoon’s Lisa can’t hold a candle to the feisty, three-dimensional females that are the heart and soul of Brooks’ best work, namely Holly Hunter’s driven journalist in Broadcast News, Helen Hunt’s impassioned single mother in As Good As It Gets, and the formidable mother-daughter duo of Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment. Witherspoon seems oddly hemmed in here, which is a shame because she is more than capable of creating memorable onscreen heroines.
Rudd is the film’s real star. His character is the only one that has any real arc. Rudd’s effortless charm and comedic timing are put to good use here, especially in his scenes opposite Nicholson, who just coasts along in his role. Green Bay native Tony Shalhoub (formerly of TV’s “Monk” and “Wings”) also shows up in one scene as a therapist Lisa goes to see following being cut from the softball team.
Like the Coen brothers, Woody Allen, and a handful of other respected filmmakers, even half-baked Brooks fare like this still manages to offer more bang for your entertainment buck than less talented filmmakers’ best efforts.
Grade: 2.5 stars
