A Breakdown of How Do You Know for Rom-Com Purists
The critics have not been kind to How Do You Know, the first James L. Brooks film since the similarly misbegotten Spanglish. “This wrong-headed dramedy peddles forced warm-fuzziness and insincere sentiment on the backs of an all-star cast,” wrote Variety’s Peter Debruge, while Indiewire’s Anne Thompson noted, “This is a career disaster for Reese Witherspoon, an Oscar-winning actress who has stumbled since Walk the Line and needs a flop like a hole in the head.” Okay, sure, but this is a romantic comedy, right? We expect a certain degree of not-so-goodness already — the question is, can we work with this? Luckily, Vulture is happy to oblige you with a breakdown of all the rom-com boxes How Do You Know manages to check off, so that if you’re wondering what the movie has to offer, you can at least answer its titular question.
Rom-Com Subgenre
A Love Triangle (see: The Philadelphia Story) about a woman who must Choose Between the Dim-Bulb Blond and Neurotic Jewish Man (see: Broadcast News)
Credentials
Writer-director James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, and As Good As It Gets, but also Spanglish); early-aughts rom-com queen Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde, Sweet Home Alabama); Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, Marley & Me); Paul Rudd (yes, there’s Object of My Affection and all the Apatow films, but Clueless is obviously the be-all, end-all); and Jack Nicholson (Something’s Gotta Give, As Good As It Gets).
As posted about before, Reese appeared on Live With Regis & Kelly today to promote How Do You Know. I don’t have a full video for you yet (can someone help me with this?! Let me know!) but will of course continue looking for one. In the meantime, here is a short clip in which we see Reese talk about her chickens!
He’s the guy behind films like “Broadcast News” and “As Good As It Gets.” Jame Brooks’ new movie is called “How Do You Know” because, as he admits, it one of the biggest questions most people will ever ask.
Tara Hitchcock sat down with the cast, including Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Kathryn Hahn.
Director James L. Brooks has a new film out; a romantic comedy called How do You Know.
It stars top names Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson and Paul Rudd. But is that going to guarantee that this big budget romantic comedy flies at the box office?
It is a risky investment, as Talking Movies’ Tom Brook explains.
Reese Witherspoon and agent beau Jim Toth are one cute couple.
So what’s the secret to their red-hot romance?
Don’t ask Reese. She says she knows diddly-squat about being in love…
“I’m just old enough to know now that I know nothing,” the 34-year-old Oscar winner told reporters last night at the L.A. premiere of her new romantic comedy How Do You Know. “Because I think when you are young you think you know everything and now I have just realized, you know, anything’s possible.”
And what would her life be these days without a question or two about Robert Pattinson, her costar in the upcoming drama Water for Elephants?
“He was wonderful,” said Witherspoon, who was looking quite beautiful in a Zac Posen dress. “He’s a really great actor. He just has an incredible work ethic. He works so hard and it was really fun.”
Reese Witherspoon: ‘How Do You Know’ When You’re Not In Love?
Reese Witherspoon’s upcoming movie poses the question “How Do You Know” when you’re in love, but Access’ Tony Potts asks how do you know when you’re not in love? Also, Reese tells Tony she had a “good time” working with co-stars Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson. Plus, how did Reese get a black eye while preparing for the movie?
When she’s not working, Reese Witherspoon is a full-time dedicated mom to her two kids, daughter Ava, 11, and son Deacon, 7. And although plenty of kids would think having Witherspoon as their mom would be considered cool, the 34-year-old recently revealed to MTV News while promoting her upcoming film “How Do You Know” that it’s the other way around: Her kids are the cool ones.
“They’re into the White Stripes right now. They’re both learning to play the electric guitar, and it’s kind of awesome,” she said. “They’re playing ‘Seven Nation Army’ around the house.”
An 11-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy into the White Stripes? We have to agree, she has cool kids.
“That’s the thing too: Having kids that grow up in L.A., the sophistication level is totally different,” she explained. “They are only into songwriters who write their own music, and I’m like, ‘Wow, I was not that sophisticated as a child.’ ”
Witherspoon once told Parents magazine that her kids with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe keep her grounded. “Realizing you’re not anything special to the kids is always a great sort of reminder that you’re just a regular person,” she said. “A regular embarrassing old mom. They know what I do for a living — that I’m an actress — but they haven’t seen any of my movies. Yet.”
Speaking of being embarrassing, Witherspoon said her daughter once asked her not to embarrass her at a Carrie Underwood concert. “She said, ‘Mom I really appreciate you taking me to the concert, but will you please not embarrass me in front of Carrie Underwood by singing because she’s a real singer and you’re just, like, a movie singer.’ ”
The Morning Show (2019) Seasons 1 & 2 available now on AppleTV+
Season 3 coming in 2023 Role: Bradley Jackson Genre: Apple TV+ Series - Drama News / Info / Photos / Official Site
Your Place Or Mine (2023) On Netflix now Role: Debbie Genre: Romantic comedy News / Info / Photos / Official Site
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