Review of film: "HOW DO YOU KNOW" (re problems in relationships & life)

Review of film:  “HOW DO YOU KNOW”

Writer – Director JAMES BURROWS has a great history of fine work in situation comedies such as “CHEERS”, “TAXI”, “FRASIER” & “WILL & GRACE”.  This movie is his latest work.  Sadly, it’s nowhere near up to the quality of the TV shows mentioned…

…  Before I saw an advance screening of this film, I heard at least 2 people talk about the film.  The talk didn’t concern the work in the movie--  but rather the fact that the salaries for the director & major cast members alone accounted for like $ 50 million (= 1/2 or so) of the cost of making it, a frightening & to-me ridiculous amount in these times for a movie like this…   

…  Lisa Jorgenson (REESE WITHERSPOON) is a 27-year-old baseball player who works hard to try to get chosen as a member for the USA’s national female baseball team.  A teammate friend of hers feels it’d be good for her to know non-athlete men, & recommends that a businessman named George (PAUL RUDD) call her for a date.  He seems wacky  & makes a bad impression on her…

…  In her “everyday” life, Reese has been dating a supposed pitching phenom for the Washington Nationals team named Matty (OWEN WILSON).  Owen is a “SERIAL” dater, loving anonymous sex & a grade “F” FLAKE, who keeps talking about his supposed “growth” as shown by his new “attitudes” & way of “thinking” in life…

…  Reese supposedly is a “POSITIVE” thinker type, surrounding herself with Post-It notes with “constructive” thoughts all around her (even in the bathroom).  But, she doesn’t ACT optimistic at all, especially when she hears some discouraging news.  Why she “puts-up” with the meandering thoughts of Owen is a mystery, but she keeps going “BACK” to him…

…  Paul is a “HANDS-OFF” type of businessman--  not knowing what’s “going-on” around him, & not much caring.  His father Charles (JACK NICHOLSON) runs the company he works for, & is not very “supportive” when Paul learns he’s being threatened with problems by U.S. Government investigators.  The only one really sympathetic to him is his unmarried pregnant assistant Annie (KATHRYN HAHN)…

…  As things grow worse in life for Paul, he keeps contacting Reese, who eventually starts to spend a bit of time with him since she’s “on-&-off” with Owen in that period.  When Owen sees them together, he gets jealous, & things keep going “back-&-forth” in awkward relationships between the 3 of them…

…  Paul becomes clearly “TAKEN” with Reese as a possible partner in life, & his relationship grows increasingly complicated with his dad Jack (who’s usually “blustering” & posturing for his own well-being)…  

…  Will Reese “wake-up” to whether there’s a feasible “future” with Owen?...  Will Paul be able to ESCAPE problems with the government?...  Will Paul get closer to Jack?...  WHO will Reese choose to be with by the end of the movie?...

…  As a friend commented to me after we saw the advance screening, it was maddening the way the main characters were ALL so “WISHY-WASHY”, not clear what on earth they really WANTED in life… 

…  And that’s a major PROBLEM with this film:  it’s NOT particularly a “comedy” (which it’s being “sold” as):  there’s a bunch of underlying SERIOUS “observations” in the midst of the indecisive & vascillating actions of almost ALL the main characters…

…  The dialogue & characters are amazingly “WEAK” & UN-clever, with a strange LACK of real funniness (for someone with Burrows’ background)… The only really amusing & “effective” character is pregnant assistant Kathryn… 

…  Owen is unbelievable as a “pitcher”, massively self-centered, & more ODD & FOOLISH than funny in demeanor & attitude, & it’s almost “insulting” to think that supposedly “with-it” Reese would keep PUTTING-UP with him… Virtually ANYONE could have played the role that Jack has, since it’s so ineffectually written…

…  But, to me, the problem is the SCRIPT--  the main actors (all of whom I quite LIKE overall from their past work) do what they “can” with the role they’ve been given… Did the STUDIO (financial backers) tend to issue “demands” in how the film was made?...

…  Whatever the “cause” for the final product, while it’s not a “bad” film (in that it’s got some decent “sensitive” elements), it’s sadly FAR from anything really “good”, & thus I’m rating it at only 6.5 stars out of 10…