Paul Rudd. Love him.
Jack Nicholson and Owen Wilson. Love 'em both.
How Do You Know. Eh...not so much. It's yet another romantic comedy with a promising cast and concept that just fails to deliver enough of the 'funny'. You seen the trailer? Well, you saw about 90 percent of the comedy delivered there, while the romantic component was never really able to carry it's weight.
This slowly developing love triangle features Lisa (Witherspoon), George (Rudd) and Matty (Wilson). They're all going through tough times. Well, Lisa and George are hitting the snags of life, while Matty is too oblivious to anything that drains attention from his Viagra-ladened ego. Lisa was a USA Gold Medalist as a softball player, but she's lost a step and is cut from the team. Lisa is a 'together' kind of gal, who's world has been turned upside down. She's devastated by the loss of a life that is suddenly no more. So is George. George has been running the company built by his father (Nicholson), only to be targeted in a federal investigation. Apparently, and unbeknownst to him, he's guilty as charged. Then, there's Matty. He's a pitcher for the Washington Nationals and very much on top of his game. Whether his game is on the mound or in the sack, Matty is the man. He's dating Lisa, among others, and eventually is love-struck enough to ask her to move in, which she does, in the midst of her "groping through life in the dark" state. Meanwhile, George, who is desperately grasping for a tinsy bit of sanity amid his chaos, connects with a rather reluctant Lisa. Yadayadayada Lisa walks away with...eh, you'll probably see it eventually, but I'll stop there.
There are a few laughs, but as mentioned previously, you get most of those in the trailer. There's solid acting all around. How can there not be, right? The plot just develops so slowly and never really comes together with any semblance of satisfaction. The characters...and this is surprising to even think (considering the cast), much less write...are a little flat. This really could've been funny. The script just didn't deliver. Yes, the story does eventually come together...flat...but, it did come together. Too much star power here for me to leave feeling more deflated than elated. For me: 2.5 Stars.
Is it entertaining? Well, How Do You Know has its moments, but ultimately, it left me a little...well...leave the top off a two-litre of Mountain Dew tonight, take few swigs in a few days and you'll know how you'll feel leaving the theatre. If you like that feeling, go see this one BIG. If not, it's worth adding to the queue and checking out in April when it hits Blockbuster. Happy Holidays...
True...OUT!
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