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How Do You Know?
2010, James L. Brooks
Oscar winner James L. Brooks returns to the big screen for only the sixth time in his long career, and sadly the result is more than a bit of a muddle with far too few laughs or emotions. It's primarily the story of two star-crossed thirtysomethings, George and Lisa (Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon). Both are at professional low points in their lives, her having just been cut from the USA Women's Softball Team, him facing felony indictments for crooked business dealings at his company. They are both neurotic, but manifest their quirks in these dark days differently. She is almost pathologically optimistic much of the time, believing if she works hard and focuses that a positive outcome will emerge. He is almost paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and would rather sit with his head in the sand until the storm somehow passes.
In the midst of this, they wind up on an awkward blind date they decide to honor. Lisa's effect on George is powerful and almost instantaneous, making him forget his troubles while in her presence and feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. She pays little attention to him at first, as she is also in a new relationship with a cocky Major League relief pitcher (Owen Wilson). But eventually a sort of romantic triangle develops, and she starts seeing what she isn't getting from the pitcher or anybody else but that comes effortlessly from George.
There's a subplot about the legal indictments at George's company, which happens to be run by his father, played by Jack Nicholson. But it's not terribly interesting. In fact, nothing much that goes on, by way of the narrative, is in the least bit engaging. Rudd especially has some natural charm and wrings a few laughs out of some physical gags here and there, Witherspoon makes the most out of a strangely written character, while Owen Wilson breezes through a few scenes doing exactly what he's done before in a dozen other flicks. There's only one scene of much emotional payoff, involving another smaller subplot with Rudd's former secretary (Kathryn Hahn from Step Brothers), but it is alone in a wilderness of dullness. I was hoping Spanglish, Brooks' previous effort, was an anomaly, but there's no energy or wit or purpose to be found here. Even with lowered expectations, as a Jim Brooks fan this was a big disappointment. Even on autopilot it's better than the last three Katherine Heigl romantic dramadies and Rudd fares better here than in the summer dud Dinner with Schmucks, but those are extremely low bars and I can hardly give out high-fives for slowly clearing them.
GRADE: C-
which may, in fact, be generous
How Do You Know?
2010, James L. Brooks
Oscar winner James L. Brooks returns to the big screen for only the sixth time in his long career, and sadly the result is more than a bit of a muddle with far too few laughs or emotions. It's primarily the story of two star-crossed thirtysomethings, George and Lisa (Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon). Both are at professional low points in their lives, her having just been cut from the USA Women's Softball Team, him facing felony indictments for crooked business dealings at his company. They are both neurotic, but manifest their quirks in these dark days differently. She is almost pathologically optimistic much of the time, believing if she works hard and focuses that a positive outcome will emerge. He is almost paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and would rather sit with his head in the sand until the storm somehow passes.
In the midst of this, they wind up on an awkward blind date they decide to honor. Lisa's effect on George is powerful and almost instantaneous, making him forget his troubles while in her presence and feel like there's a light at the end of the tunnel. She pays little attention to him at first, as she is also in a new relationship with a cocky Major League relief pitcher (Owen Wilson). But eventually a sort of romantic triangle develops, and she starts seeing what she isn't getting from the pitcher or anybody else but that comes effortlessly from George.
There's a subplot about the legal indictments at George's company, which happens to be run by his father, played by Jack Nicholson. But it's not terribly interesting. In fact, nothing much that goes on, by way of the narrative, is in the least bit engaging. Rudd especially has some natural charm and wrings a few laughs out of some physical gags here and there, Witherspoon makes the most out of a strangely written character, while Owen Wilson breezes through a few scenes doing exactly what he's done before in a dozen other flicks. There's only one scene of much emotional payoff, involving another smaller subplot with Rudd's former secretary (Kathryn Hahn from Step Brothers), but it is alone in a wilderness of dullness. I was hoping Spanglish, Brooks' previous effort, was an anomaly, but there's no energy or wit or purpose to be found here. Even with lowered expectations, as a Jim Brooks fan this was a big disappointment. Even on autopilot it's better than the last three Katherine Heigl romantic dramadies and Rudd fares better here than in the summer dud Dinner with Schmucks, but those are extremely low bars and I can hardly give out high-fives for slowly clearing them.
GRADE: C-
which may, in fact, be generous