Movie Review: How Do You Know

As I walked out of the movie I was speechless, I was exhausted, and I just to get out. Seriously. How Do You Know runs way too long, has way too little story, has way too few laughs, and is just a real bore. Wow. The cast is strong but the writing is so weak. I went in hoping for a nice little romantic comedy and what I got was that blended with a journey of self-discovery with a backdrop of financial indictment. Sadly it does not come together until the final frames. The big problem is lasting until those final moments.



At the center of the story is Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), a softball star who did not make the cut for the latest team. She is deemed a bit over the hill at 31 and now she is set adrift in the world, unsure of what to do with herself. She soon finds solace in a casual relationship with Matty (Owen Wilson), a womanizing, narcissistic pro baseball player. She also meets George (Paul Rudd), an executive who works for a company run by his father (Jack Nicholson). He is set adrift when he comes under investigation for wire fraud.

That certainly sounds exciting, doesn't it? No, I guess not. Just as Lisa and Matty are hitting it off, the crumbling George falls into her life and the two make a connection, but it is one that moves in fits and starts. In between is Lisa's journey to find her place, which possibly may be with Matty, and George trying to keep himself from completely falling apart.




I don't know. This movie is not all that inspiring when it comes to writing about it. Simply put, I was bored. The screenplay does not feel natural at all. I understand that the whole setup is a bit contrived in the first place and I do not demand reality from my romantic comedies, but they should be involving in some fashion. Every moment in this felt manufactured. It felt like a script. It was not until those final frames that something felt genuine.

None of these characters feel real, they have no depth, they don't really development, and just take up space on the big screen. It is a shame because the cast is quite good. To be sure there are a few funny moments, I always like Paul Rudd and he has a few good moments here. Likewise, Jack Nicholson has some fun "Nicholson" moments. I guess I would be lying if I said there were no good moments, but they are more like little skits. Nothing truly comes together and when it comes right down to it, I just don't care.

So there. Yeah, I know, and I am sorry, my heart just isn't into this. This movie is just boring.

Not Recommended.