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Critics Consensus: How Do You Know boasts a quartet of likeable leads -- and they deserve better than this glib, overlong misfire from writer/director James L. Brooks.
Critic Consensus: How Do You Know boasts a quartet of likeable leads -- and they deserve better than this glib, overlong misfire from writer/director James L. Brooks.
All Critics (148) | Top Critics (41) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (101) | DVD (5)
Some of the bits are funny, every now and then they're sweet, the performances are OK and really, with this much talent involved, it's hard not to be disappointed in that.
Contrived, mawkish and mirthless, this feels like it was made by people who haven't had any meaningful human contact for years.
Everything looks primed for civilized amusement, but somewhere along the way the laughs dropped off, together with the question mark in the title.
Brooks has given us the rare contemporary rom-com that's by turns (if intermittently) thoughtful and funny, and that doesn't feel focus-grouped, cynical, misogynist, or mean. It seems ungenerous not to cut such a generous movie a break.
How do you know if a romantic comedy isn't working? Generally if it's neither especially romantic, nor particularly comic. And in this picture, no matter how many times he keeps coming up to bat, Brooks keeps striking out.
How Do You Know isn't Brooks' best. Witherspoon is too uneasy in her role. But thanks to Rudd, plus Kathryn Hahn as... George's loyal secretary and Nicholson as his father, it delivers a number of delights.
Brooks wants to make a contemporary relationship film and a topical one about the financial crisis and winds up failing on both sides.
I'm not sure the movie will end up earning back its stars' huge salaries, but you definitely can't argue they didn't earn them.
It's not enough to merely swoon over Witherspoon. The movie's entirely too long and leaden to get by on that alone.
"How Do You Know" is a complete misfire from famed writer/director James L. Brooks.
What happened to James L. Brooks?
It's all a bit of a slog and, in the end, you don't know much more than you did at the start.
Rom com with a good cast. Lisa finds herself without a job, moves in with her boyfriend then realises she is attracted someone else.
Super Reviewer
Hmm, well, based on the talent involved, this had the possibility of being amazing. Considering the reception this film got, I was a little befuddled, but was hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Well, I've seen it now, and....the film is not terrible, just terribly mediocre. The main issues are that the script is just dull, the characters aren't really all that interesting, and everyone just looks bored and uninspired...especially Jack, who pretty much just phones it in and plays himself, but goes by the name of Charles. Also, this film, like many of Brooks's, goes on far too long, but here it's not worth it because the film isn't all that interesting. It's not a complete loss though. Reese and Rudd are actually decent, and I kind of liked their characters, but I couldn't stand Wilson here. He's just too frustrating and a little of his character goes a long way. Plus, there are a few good scenes, but overall, this film just seems all over the place, messy, and in need of some revisions. If you feel you need to see this, then see it, but catch it on tv or something. There are far worse films that are just as sweet and well-meaning, but this one was just really came off all the worse because there's some great people involved.
Lisa: Never drink to feel better; drink to feel even better. How Do You Know is the story of Lisa (played wonderfully by the beautiful Reese Witherspoon) who got cut from her professional softball team and confused about her relationship with major league pitcher Matty (played by Owen Wilson in his usual knuckle-head and awkward role) and doesn't quite know what she's doing with her life. Enter corporate executive George (played by Paul Rudd in a surprisingly real and astounding performance), who is being investigated for something along with his father Charles (amazingly played by the legendary Jack Nicholson in another pitch-perfect role). The real scene stealer is Kathryn Hahn, who plays George's loyal, pregnant, and honest secretary Annie in her most hilarious role since 2008's hit comedy Step Brothers, where she played John C. Reily's love interest. Put all of this together, and we now have ourselves a James L. Brooks movie. Read the full review at www.CreedsDelight.com
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, Kathryn Hahn, Mark Linn-Baker, Lenny Venito, Molly Price, Shelley Conn, Tony Shalhoub Director: James L. Brooks Summary: Feeling spurned after being cut from the national team due to her age, newly single softball player Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself in the middle of a heated love triangle, as a professional baseball player (Owen Wilson) and a business executive (Paul Rudd) compete for her affections. My Thoughts: "The film is a mess. It's such a disappointment because I had a little bit of high hopes considering the cast. I really don't understand what the film was suppose to be about. In the end, I think it was "How Do You Know", when you are in love. I loved the film 'Overnight Delivery', and I was hoping to catch a glimpse of that chemistry between Reese and Rudd again in this film. Unfortunately I think the writing put that spark out for this film. I did enjoy Paul and Kathryn's screen time. She was funny in the movie and those scenes are my favorite in the film. The rest is a blur that I will most likely never remember considering the film is forgettable."
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