Review of How Do You Know (2010) by Denise O — 20 Jan 2012

Whenever you have this sort of collection of talent in front of and behind the camera, you never expect to get such an disappointing film. There are ways to write and direct a talking head movie to engross the viewer. See The Social Network, and even this writer/director's As Good As It Gets. Yet, the term that kept popping up in my head as I watched How Do You Know is unfocused.

The movie starts with both Reese Withspoon and Paul Rudd's characters going through life upheavals, as the lives they are leading are suddenly stripped away from them because of choices other people made. After the sudden emotional and professional turns the two lead character's lives take at the start of this movie, there is absolutely no reason they should start any sort of relationship, let alone with each other. They need to figure themselves out first before they can come together. And that can said for this movie. There didn't seem to be a strong game plan going into this one.

Where to begin: The screenplay lacks a consistant tone, and should have been streamlined, or at the very least had gone through one more draft. The movie is populated with too many characters; characters, who should have been one and done, linger, characters we are led to believe have importance disappear for the rest of the movie. The main actors, who I have liked in numerous other projects, flounder with the dialogue and have what look to me like hokey staged reaction shots. The scene staging was labored, and the actors are rarely given any "business" so all they do is sit and talk or walk and talk, either in person, or over the phone. Way too many times are characters on the phone. Halfway through the movie I was ready to scream if one more person picked up a telephone. The editing choices bothered me. It seems all the editor had to work with was basic close-ups and the master and since the scenes lacked movement or activities or interesting locations for the scenes to take place in, the editor couldn't mask that fact.

There is a scene in the hospital that sums up what I mean. Paul Rudd's overly loyal secretary, who, while she provide some life to this movie, her character is genuinely not needed for this plot, just gave birth to a son. Her parents are there as Rudd and Witherspoon come by for congratulations. Then the secretary, in the middle of this conversation scene, picks up the phone and while we hear that the father of the child is in the wrong room and will be there in a moment. No cut-away to the father on the other side of the line, or a nurse telling us that information instead. We see Witherspoon literally listening to that conversation. Given the lack of variety of shots, it seems they didn't get enough coverage. All of a sudden, Nicholson, who is playing Rudd's father, walks in and we are meant to think for a quick moment he is the father of this kid. And just as your eyes are about to roll to the top of your head, the real father walks in. A fake out for no reason, that started with making us watch that woman lying in bed on the phone talking to someone we don't care about yet, and all that time for something that serves no plot function at all.

Then, miraculously, the best scene in the movie happens. This father proposes right there, explaining why he hasn't done it before, and was acted terrifically by Lenny Venito. He has Rudd videotape his speech, giving he and Witherspoon a reason to stay in the room and listen, and get reaction shots for the audience's sake, as these two hear and see a couple who share genuine love. And then the scene is practically ruined as they have a bit that Rudd didn't capture the moment on tape after all, and they frantically try to recreate the sweet moment. Completely unnecessary. In one scene we flip flop from seeing what the movie is and what it could be.

James Brooks has made some amazing films and solicited incredible performances from the actors in those movies. Sadly, How Do You Know isn't anywhere close. I recommed you watch Broadcast News or Terms of Endearment again instead of watching How Do You Know. Not Recommend.