I just do!
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The H-Bomb: 31 year old softball player Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) has just been cut from the national team. She freaks out over what she’s going to do with her life and seeks solace in the arms of her boyfriend, pro baseball superstar Matty (Owen Wilson). Only problem is, Matty’s a bit too self-absorbed and inconsiderate to really provide any comfort to anyone.
Then she meets George (Paul Rudd), a nice guy business man with a neurotic edge. George, as it turns out, has his own bag of shit that he’s hauling around. He’s facing a Federal indictment for some kind of corporate malfeasance and his company, owned by his father (Jack Nicholson), is throwing him under the bus completely.
The first few encounters between Lisa and George are very awkward (their first date gives new meaning to the word excruciating). They’re a couple of bundles of neuroses who aren’t very good at talking about their problems, yet they can’t help projecting that something is very wrong in their lives. They take turns playing therapist for each other, and would you know it, a mutual attraction starts to form. What are the odds that these two likeably eccentric people will end up together?
Yeah, this is more or less your average rom com, predictable to the last frame. Although this one boasts a better script than most, with characters who seem slightly more interesting than the ones who usually populate this genre. That probably has to do with the fact that “How Do You Know” was written and directed by James L. Brooks, who in the past has made terrific films like “Terms of Endearment” and “As Good As It Gets”. This one is lighter going than those movies, but Brooks keeps a breezy tone, brings out great performances from the three very appealing stars, and makes the film more enjoyable than I would’ve expected.
Witherspoon plays Lisa as a strong, smart, independent woman, but isn’t afraid to let the character’s insecurities show. Being that she’s had stand out turns in “Election” and “Walk the Line”, the latter winning her an Oscar, this is hardly a career best for her, but she’s solid in the role. She’s matched by Rudd, who’s very funny as the goofy, clumsy, but good hearted George. Owen Wilson does his Owen Wilson thing and brings in the laughs, despite his character being such a narcissistic buffoon. That’s one complaint I have about the script, did this character really have to be such a cartoonish dolt?
As for Nicholson… what can I say? Jack is Jack, in all his cool, devilishly funny glory. He has a smaller role, but he steals just about every scene that he’s in. This is especially true in a certain scene set in a hospital room where the very act of him walking into the room just completely brings the house down… that is the power of Jack!
If I were to complain about anything, I would say that this is a rom com that follows the formula to a T, and thusly it doesn’t escape the predictability of genre. This is my general complaint about most romantic comedies I’ve seen, and this one is no different. Also, the movie comes in at almost two hours, and while it never felt like it dragged, I was definitely ready for it to be over by the time it ended.
Overall, “How Do You Know” is consistently amusing with a few laugh out loud moments and is even occasionally touching at times. It’s certainly nothing great, but as entertainment, it’s passable. Couples looking for something to see on the weekend will probably enjoy it. As for everyone else, there are probably better ways to spend ten dollars.
