Review of How Do You Know (2010) by Shiira — 20 Dec 2010

About three-quarters of the way into "How Do You Know", an independent film breaks out. It's not a particularly distinguished indie, but when Kathryn Hahn and Lenny Vinito(playing a couple who just had a baby) hijack the movie for a few turbo-charged minutes, they put their bigger-named co-stars to shame.

After ninety-minutes of watching glib people act like they're in love, it's almost uncomfortable the manner in which Al proposes to Annie, so earnest and self-deprecating-like, you'll want to yell, "Get a room!" or "Cut!" at the screen, because their honesty is downright jarring, just like real love.

For posterity's sake, Al hands George Madison a digital video camera, then gets down to the business of convincing Annie that he's unworthy of her love, but nevertheless, is asking anyways, practically begging George's loyal assistant to pardon his unqualified heart.

Metaphorically speaking, with Lisa(Reese Witherspoon) looking on from the sidelines), it's only fitting that George would fail to capture the momentous event, since Rudd and his leading lady must have been chagrined at being upstaged by these featured players, who take love past the conceptual stage, as they lay bare their souls without a trace of self-consciousness, unlike the pretty people who are guarded and stingy when it comes to sticky matters such as feelings and stuff.

In other words, Hahn and Vinito(especially the latter performer) go for broke, putting the main attractions to shame. Rudd, the star of "The Hangover" and "I Love You, [Wo]man", as George, is supposed to be the antidote against narcissistic athletes such as Manny(Owen Wilson), an unabashed womanizer who expects a pat on the back from Lisa each time he treats her like a human being, as opposed to a piece of meat.

But is he? Rudd's indicted man, similar in a crucial way to the recent performance given by Johnny Depp in Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's "The Tourist", in that he's also saddled with baggage, a lot of baggage.

Playing a corporate executive who's the target of a federal investigation for fraud, Rudd's innate ability to convincingly woo women becomes compromised by inner turmoil(like Anthony Pierce, as played by Depp, who was conflicted with the idea of Elise(Angelina Jolie) leaving him for "him"), so as a result, George Madison isn't a whole lot of fun to be around.

Rudd doesn't do glum particularly well. That's a job for Tobey Maguire. After a disastrous first date highlighted by uncomfortable silence, a chance meeting in an elevator leads the ambivalent couple on a collision course to a second date of sorts back at George's pad.

This time, Lisa breaks the moratorium on no talking, embarrassingly, to no great effect, since Geoge isn't up to the task of being lovable, admitting himself that he's "not great company", thus inspiring Lisa to comment, "This can't be moves," and yet, it's this awkward and laugh-free conversation that serves as the bedrock of their mutual love for each other.

That's no small feat, turning Rudd into Freddie Prinze, considering how this modern-day everyman has worked his way up from being the funniest thing in other people's vehicles to a bonafide A-lister. People seem to love him, man.

(Witherspoon, too; she's an angel in Richard Mulligan's "The Man in the Moon", and a devil in Alexander Payne's "Election") Unlike the producer that Holly Hunter plays in the much, much, much, much superior "Broadcast News", Lisa ends up with the nice guy, not the right guy, whereas Jane chooses Tom(William Hurt) over Aaron(Albert Brooks), because chicks dig the bad boys.

Nice guys finish last. Lisa, an ex-softball player who only dates athletes, sounds just as shallow as Manny, a big league pitcher with a 94-mph fastball, who resembles Tom Grunnick in a brief scene where the MLB player tries to win Lisa back by texting her a picture of himself in repose, choosing the second photo after determining that he doesn't look properly sad in the first take.

It echoes the key moment in "Broadcast News", a seminal film about the dumbing down of television journalism, when the ill-informed news anchor fakes compassion by squeezing out the proverbial crocodile ear after going through a piece on date rape dry-eyed during the first go-around.

Tom is a fake. Manny is a fake, too. But so are George and Lisa, and, alas, Al and Annie, due to some injudicious editing. After Mr. Madison forgets to hit "record" on the camcorder, Al wants to film his proposal again, and the two hospital visitors are more than willing to oblige.

The movie-within-the movie runs too long. Real love turns into tainted love. The filmmaker killed the one thing that was almost beautiful.