Now You Know (2002)

In the wake of his wedding's cancellation a man tries to figure out what went wrong. Writer, director, and co-star Jeff Anderson is known for his work in Kevin Smith's films as Randall, and Anderson's friend, Smith, makes a cameo appearance in Now You Know. Their work is remarkably similar, focusing on aimless Jersey men and their woman troubles. But whereas Smith's dialogue is smart, sharp, witty, and rolls off the tongue with an ease that few writers can master, Anderson's dialogue seems more forced, and the jokes seem deliberately set up, as though the characters know the punchline and are working to get there. Where Anderson succeeds Smith is his direction. Anderson's shots are well-framed, and he even moves the camera, something Smith rarely resorts to. Now You Know is incredibly predictable. We know the resolution of the film's conflict early in the second act, and the reveal of the father of Marty's child is telegraphed almost from the beginning of the film. There are a few clever reveals, like why Gil and Biscuit break into houses and re-arrange the furniture, but mostly, one knows what's going to happen long before the characters do. That said, there are moments that resonated with me, including the feeling of a relationship ending for no good reason and Gil's theory that married men aren't missing out on anything because the only reason to go out is to find the one they're going to marry. Overall, Now You Know is similar to Smith's oeuvre, which is fine company to be in.

This wasn't bad, but I would only watch it the once. I think this might have been better if Jeff Anderson had gone for the straight buddy-comedy laughs instead of the bent romantic comedy that he was going for. The lead actors were great though, as was the dialogue for the most part. I found the dwelling on the recently past relationship a little tedious, and it really weighed down the whole movie. Not too bad, but lacking energy.