How Do You Know
2010, Romance, 2h 1m
151 Reviews 25,000+ RatingsWhat to know
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. Read critic reviews
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How Do You Know Videos
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Lisa
Matty
George
Charles
Annie
Ron
News & Interviews for How Do You Know
Critic Reviews for How Do You Know
All Critics (151) | Top Critics (57) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (104)
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Three likeable stars and Jack Nicholson. Can you take this foursome and make a film that makes you want to barf the moment it opens? Yes, if the film is How Do You Know.
April 3, 2019 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review… -
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January 26, 2012 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review… -
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.
August 12, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Though neither mindless nor insensitive, this interminable movie falls far short of Brooks's best work, which is to say Broadcast News and As Good As It Gets.
January 31, 2011 | Full Review… -
Though the film was a box-office dud in the US, Brooks delivers an amusing and consistenly engaging relationship piece that is a cut above the standard romantic comedy.
January 28, 2011 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review… -
Instead of juicing it up with jokes, Brooks has inadvertently given us another story of the American condition, which is that of absolute and incorrigible self-centredness.
January 28, 2011 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for How Do You Know
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Aug 23, 2015It was cute except it was not funny at all... How do you know had excellent chemistry between Witherspoon and Rudd but script was it was disastrous and the running time way too long for a pleasant viewing.Sylvester K Super Reviewer
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Jun 10, 2012Rom com with a good cast. Lisa finds herself without a job, moves in with her boyfriend then realises she is attracted someone else.Candy R Super Reviewer
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Apr 11, 2012While waiting for news on whether or not she makes the national softball team(she doesn't), Lisa(Reese Witherspoon) is so distracted by her cell phone ringing that she is hit by a softball in the face but is okay. It turns out that the phone call is only her friend and teammate Riva(Teyonah Parris) trying to set her up with a non-athlete for a change. In any case, neither her nor her intended date, George(Paul Rudd), are available, as Lisa is sorta/maybe dating Matty(Owen Wilson), a pitcher for the Washington Nationals. George's status suddenly changes all around when his girlfriend Terry(Shelley Conn) dumps him when he is investigated for securities fraud. On the other hand, George's father(Jack Nicholson) stands firmly behind him. So, how do you know you are watching a mediocre romantic comedy? Well, the 120 minute running time is not a good sign, but it is not necessarily a critical flaw, as it matters what you do with the time. Here, it is nothing good, as the movie just goes around in circles for the most part, with only a couple of truly memorable moments. The first of which revolves around the phrase, "I can't even smile for the bastards, anymore." Underneath this mess is a good movie waiting to get out about two young people at a crossroads in their lives. And even then, the leads are extraordinarily bland. But, bless him, Jack Nicholson still has it. On the plus side, there is a fine use of mass transit which accounts for the second memorable moment.Walter M Super Reviewer
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Feb 06, 2012Bunch of good actors, plus Owen Wilson, go through the motions of James L. Brooks' latest comedy with few and far between memorable moments. Brooks' best work is about twenty years old and this feels like it is trapped in that time period with little understanding of where comedy has evolved today.John B Super Reviewer
How Do You Know Quotes
| Psychiatrist: | Figure out what you want and learn how to get it. |
| George: | This stuff was invented by this man in Central Ohio as white goo ... used to remove soot off wall paper... when gas and electric heating came in there was no longer a need for the cleaning goo the guy was going under ... Joe McVicker, his sister in law was Kay Zufall. So Kay Zufall discovered that her kids liked squeezing the goo a lot more than hard modeling clay so she suggested to her brother in law Joe that they colour the stuff and call it play- doh ... So I have kept this for a long time as proof that we are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work. |
| George: | We are all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work. |
| Lisa: | Never drink to feel better; drink to feel even better. |
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