How Do You Know is hardly a bad movie. It’s well produced and boasts a charming cast, has some interesting things to say about relationships, and is lighthearted and easy to digest.
The film, the most recent effort from writer/director James L. Brooks, just never really takes advantage of all the positives it has going for it, instead becoming another tragic example of a writer who tries too hard to say something, and winds up saying nothing at all. Like the title suggests, it’s a general statement without the necessary punctuation.
How Do You Know tells the story of Lisa, George, and Matty; three attractive D.C. area people in various stages of their lives. Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is a former Team USA Softball player who has aged out of her spot on the team. George (Paul Rudd) is a successful corporate type in the midst of a federal indictment, and Matty (Owen Wilson) is a playboy pitcher for the Washington Nationals.
The Other Guys is the proverbial mixed bag. The movie is never tremendously funny, but it is at the very least an enjoyable action comedy. The crime subplot is extremely convoluted, almost garishly reexplained over and over to little result, but the performances of the two leads carry the film to moderate success overall.