HOW DO YOU KNOW
**
Director: James L. Brooks
Screenwriter: James L. Brooks
Principal cast:
Reese Witherspoon
Jack Nicholson
Paul Rudd
Owen Wilson
Kathryn Hahn
Mark Linn-Baker
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 121 mins.
Australian release date: 26 January 2011
James L. Brooks has all the right credentials: he took the Oscar hat trick for Terms of Endearment in 1984, winning Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay; has been nominated for Best Picture three more times since then and, coolest of all, he owns Gracie Films which produces The Simpsons. However, on this occasion, he doesn’t quite hit the mark. How Do You Know is a drama/comedy for adults with some good performances but there is something slightly out of kilter and in this case it is, believe it or not, the droll performance by Jack Nicholson.
Nicholson plays a sleazy company director, Charles, who is behind a financial crime and suffers no guilt about using his son, George (Paul Rudd), to take the rap. The eyebrows go up on cue and Nicholson fills the screen with his presence however, these days, it is more his bulk than his shtick that occupies the frame. Granted, he does bring a wry smile to your face when he first appears on screen, but it is a fleeting moment.
The central character, Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), is a likable, sweet, young woman who is about to be dumped from the USA softball team. Why? Because she is nearly 30! In the prime of her life, and washed up to boot. However, the dumping quickly takes second place to her love life.
Lisa is faced with the dilemma of choosing between the rich, young pro-baseball pitcher Matty (Owen Wilson) - who has the best lines in the film - but who is an utterly self-centred ladies’ man with a totally narcissistic attitude to life in general. He is worth millions and this keeps him out of touch with reality. Or should she go with the young financial wheeler-dealer, George, who is more down-to earth but facing a lengthy term of incarceration? It’s a hard decision; both are rich, both are flawed.
The script moves along at a fairly even pace. Brooks challenges his audience to think about what is going on. It’s a refreshing change from the usual spelt-out dramas that seem to come out of the USA. There are plenty of laughs and the script manages to keep you asking, ‘how do you know?’ when the right one comes along. The difference is that on screen we can see it played out before us. How Do You Know won’t win Oscars, but it will win hearts.
Screenwriter: James L. Brooks
Principal cast:
Reese Witherspoon
Jack Nicholson
Paul Rudd
Owen Wilson
Kathryn Hahn
Mark Linn-Baker
Country: USA
Classification: M
Runtime: 121 mins.
Australian release date: 26 January 2011
James L. Brooks has all the right credentials: he took the Oscar hat trick for Terms of Endearment in 1984, winning Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay; has been nominated for Best Picture three more times since then and, coolest of all, he owns Gracie Films which produces The Simpsons. However, on this occasion, he doesn’t quite hit the mark. How Do You Know is a drama/comedy for adults with some good performances but there is something slightly out of kilter and in this case it is, believe it or not, the droll performance by Jack Nicholson.
Nicholson plays a sleazy company director, Charles, who is behind a financial crime and suffers no guilt about using his son, George (Paul Rudd), to take the rap. The eyebrows go up on cue and Nicholson fills the screen with his presence however, these days, it is more his bulk than his shtick that occupies the frame. Granted, he does bring a wry smile to your face when he first appears on screen, but it is a fleeting moment.
The central character, Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), is a likable, sweet, young woman who is about to be dumped from the USA softball team. Why? Because she is nearly 30! In the prime of her life, and washed up to boot. However, the dumping quickly takes second place to her love life.
Lisa is faced with the dilemma of choosing between the rich, young pro-baseball pitcher Matty (Owen Wilson) - who has the best lines in the film - but who is an utterly self-centred ladies’ man with a totally narcissistic attitude to life in general. He is worth millions and this keeps him out of touch with reality. Or should she go with the young financial wheeler-dealer, George, who is more down-to earth but facing a lengthy term of incarceration? It’s a hard decision; both are rich, both are flawed.
The script moves along at a fairly even pace. Brooks challenges his audience to think about what is going on. It’s a refreshing change from the usual spelt-out dramas that seem to come out of the USA. There are plenty of laughs and the script manages to keep you asking, ‘how do you know?’ when the right one comes along. The difference is that on screen we can see it played out before us. How Do You Know won’t win Oscars, but it will win hearts.