I haven't walked out of a movie since the abomination that was 'The Next Best Thing' ten years ago. That was the first and only time a movie has been so appalling that I've had no other option than to flee. Tonight I came as close as I have ever been to walk out No. 2.
I'll give any movie a chance. Even if it's been mauled to death by the press, I like to make up my own mind. It is this open-minded attitude that has caused me to spend the last 2 hours watching 'How Do You Know.' A brief plot summary: Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is in a bit of an emotional state after being dropped from the national women's softball team. She's having a bit of no-strings fun with Matty (Owen Wilson), a major league baseball star and all-round playboy. Lisa is also set up on a blind date with George (Paul Rudd), a businessman who is being investigated by the FBI over some kind of fraud. George's father and boss, Charles (Jack Nicholson) is tied into the same investigation and coincidentally lives in the same building as Matty. The inevitable love triangle follows. There's also a sub-plot involving George's pregnant assistant Annie (Kathryn Hahn).
I have nothing but admiration for the four main actors in this film. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favourite actresses and before today I hadn't seen her in a bad movie. Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson have both proved to be fantastic comedic actors over the past few years and Jack Nicholson is, well, a legend. So where did it all go wrong? There is no doubting the acting credentials of the cast, so in my opinion the blame has to rest with the shockingly bad script. Though saying that, the writer-director of this mess, James L. Brooks, has more than proved his worth in both film and television over the years. Perhaps he was just having an off day? The problem lies in the implausibility of pretty much everything that happens in this movie. The way the characters relate to each other, the way they talk - it's all so fake and completely unbelievable. I felt embarrassed for the four A-list stars who clearly struggled with the Z-list script.
In the first half of the movie, Lisa becomes very good friends with George. They first meet on a blind date, which does not go very well. They next have a chance encounter in the elevator of the building Manny shares with George's father. Next thing you know, they're best mates. For the rest of the movie, Manny goes from playboy sports star to emotional softie and Lisa spends her time running between him and George, suitcase in tow, fretting about what to do with her life. George ends up deciding to declare his love for Lisa, a woman he has met on approximately three separate occasions, but it comes at a price: If she loves him back, his Dad will have to go to prison for 25 years and if she doesn't, George will get 3 years himself (no, really, that actually is the plot). There's a baby and a marriage proposal involving the supporting character of Annie which should be applauded for doing nothing other than distracting from the abysmal main plot.
I'll remain a fan of Witherspoon, Rudd, Wilson and Nicholson - they're amongst the finest talent in Hollywood, but should all have strong words with their agents after this travesty. As for Brooks, let's hope his next work is more reminiscent of his 1997 masterpiece 'As Good As It Gets' than this garbage.
I've absolutely nothing positive to say about this movie, but am going to give it 1 out of 10 purely because I find Reese Witherspoon pleasing to the eye.
I'll give any movie a chance. Even if it's been mauled to death by the press, I like to make up my own mind. It is this open-minded attitude that has caused me to spend the last 2 hours watching 'How Do You Know.' A brief plot summary: Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is in a bit of an emotional state after being dropped from the national women's softball team. She's having a bit of no-strings fun with Matty (Owen Wilson), a major league baseball star and all-round playboy. Lisa is also set up on a blind date with George (Paul Rudd), a businessman who is being investigated by the FBI over some kind of fraud. George's father and boss, Charles (Jack Nicholson) is tied into the same investigation and coincidentally lives in the same building as Matty. The inevitable love triangle follows. There's also a sub-plot involving George's pregnant assistant Annie (Kathryn Hahn).
I have nothing but admiration for the four main actors in this film. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favourite actresses and before today I hadn't seen her in a bad movie. Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson have both proved to be fantastic comedic actors over the past few years and Jack Nicholson is, well, a legend. So where did it all go wrong? There is no doubting the acting credentials of the cast, so in my opinion the blame has to rest with the shockingly bad script. Though saying that, the writer-director of this mess, James L. Brooks, has more than proved his worth in both film and television over the years. Perhaps he was just having an off day? The problem lies in the implausibility of pretty much everything that happens in this movie. The way the characters relate to each other, the way they talk - it's all so fake and completely unbelievable. I felt embarrassed for the four A-list stars who clearly struggled with the Z-list script.
In the first half of the movie, Lisa becomes very good friends with George. They first meet on a blind date, which does not go very well. They next have a chance encounter in the elevator of the building Manny shares with George's father. Next thing you know, they're best mates. For the rest of the movie, Manny goes from playboy sports star to emotional softie and Lisa spends her time running between him and George, suitcase in tow, fretting about what to do with her life. George ends up deciding to declare his love for Lisa, a woman he has met on approximately three separate occasions, but it comes at a price: If she loves him back, his Dad will have to go to prison for 25 years and if she doesn't, George will get 3 years himself (no, really, that actually is the plot). There's a baby and a marriage proposal involving the supporting character of Annie which should be applauded for doing nothing other than distracting from the abysmal main plot.
I'll remain a fan of Witherspoon, Rudd, Wilson and Nicholson - they're amongst the finest talent in Hollywood, but should all have strong words with their agents after this travesty. As for Brooks, let's hope his next work is more reminiscent of his 1997 masterpiece 'As Good As It Gets' than this garbage.
I've absolutely nothing positive to say about this movie, but am going to give it 1 out of 10 purely because I find Reese Witherspoon pleasing to the eye.