“DATE FLICK DELIGHT”
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Jack Nicholson
Directed by: James L. Brooks
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language
Running Time: 1hr 56min
Genre: Comedy, Romance and Sports
Release Date: December 17th, 2010
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
By John Delia
Now on screens everywhere How Do You Know, a lively romantic comedy that hits a home run in acting, direction and screenplay. The film does what most comedies seem to have missed, entertain with heart. If you like your romance with an interesting story, fun characters and a lot of energy, then How Do You Know should be high on your list.
In the center of the plot passionate lifetime athlete Lisa (Witherspoon) has found herself without a softball team. Hapless and helpless she enters a new kind of competition, a life without the usual support from her fellow teammates. Grasping for straws she begins a relationship with star Major League baseball player Matty (Wilson) but not before being introduced via phone to George (Rudd) a business executive. Things start getting complex when the chance phone meeting with George turns into a face to face that takes Lisa by surprise causing complications of uproarious proportions.
I’m going to rant a little here, but it may be worth the read. We are all familiar with the kind of ditsy comedy that Reese Witherspoon can bring to the screen, ala Legally Blonde, but in How Do You Know I was presented with a character I had never seen in her before. Her sports jock persona is dead on in the film and I am amazed that she NEVER wavered from her character. Her ability to keep Lisa’s characteristics tough and dumbfounded throughout her new venture into life’s mainstream ‘meat market’ made for a great show.
Icing on the cake comes with a usually good performance by Jack Nicholson as George’s dad who finds himself in trouble with the government. Even as Nicholson ages he still commands the screen whenever he gets the opportunity.
Direction by James L. Brooks does a great job of keeping the laughs coming. His ability to keep Wilson’s whimsical comedy bouncing off Witherspoon’s straight-laced persona while adding Rudd’s emotional situation kept me laughing throughout. Actually any director who can control Wilson and Rudd in the same film needs a pat on the back.
The film is rated PG-13 for sexual content and some strong language. How Do You Know may not be suitable for youngsters and the romanticism may not even be fun for immature teens.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A great date film with a lot of laughs. (4 of 5)