MOVIE REVIEW- How Do You Know

There is a lot riding on the new romantic comedy How Do You Know at the box office this week.

Romantic comedies are taking a real beating this year at the movies, so will this one renew faith in a struggling genre? I'm thinking not. And it's really a shame.

Reece Witherspoon, is Lisa. She is cut from the USA Women's National Softball team. She is a mere 31 years old and is feeling a bit past her prime. She meets Matty (Owen Wilson) who is a professional baseball player. They start living together in his posh Washington DC apartment. But he's shallow and fun, not the "serious" type. Lisa then meets George (Paul Rudd). George is in business with crook father Charles (Jack Nicholson) and finds himself the target of a federal investigation. It's the eternal triangle. One woman, two men, who will she pick? Hmmm...I wonder. That's How Do You Know.

This is a GREAT example of a bunch of really good people, given a really terrible script. With extrmeme emphasis on terrible! My goodness. HDYN is so jumbled, so frantic at times, so tedious, it's really tough watching after a while. Really bad dialogue, very awkward scenes, a story that really doesn't make much sense or have much believability. Characters that spend more time on the phone than anything else, and it's way too long.

There are also entirely too many characters in this movie, and not by a little. Simpler would have been a step in the right direction, but it still would have driven off a cliff. So many are so not necessary you may ask yourself out loud why they are there. There is no chemistry at all especially between Rudd and Spoon, you have a hard time rooting for them to end up together. This is a terribly disjointed, very mundane movie that really does not work at all in any way shape or form.

I love Reece Witherspoon. And here, she is lovely yet again. She is easy to watch and has that intangible that makes her so endearing in virtually all her roles going back to Pleasantville. Her character here, is fairly well developed, but what she is asked to do is simply silly. It's a shame, because she is an Oscar winner and deserves better. Just because you toss in a bunch of really talented people, doesn't insure success. This movie just staggers and stammers to its merciful finish. It is packaged as charming and fun. Don't be fooled. No real laughs, no signature scene, no flow, pace or saving grace. There is a smattering of amusing moments but not enough to pull it along at all. What may have started off as a good idea, and real nice grown up opportunity for Rudd especially as he crosses over from sophomoric movies to the big leagues, this is a dud.

How Do You Know. Witherspoon - lovely. The rest? Not even Jack Nicholson can save this. Don't believe the hype, this is a tanker.