When a film comes out and boasts a host of juggernaut actors, includingReese Witherspoon,Paul Rudd,Owen Wilson, andJack Nicholson, you take notice. In 2010, this unlikely crew came together forJames L. Brooks’How Do You Know, and we sat tight, hoping for a hilarious and epic rom-com. However, the film’s star-studded cast end up being a double-edged sword.
Contracting actors of this caliber and fame was costly, drumming up a budget of a whopping $120 million, and unfortunately there was no pay-off, asthe movie was a financial bomb at the box office, only earning $48 million worldwide. On top of this, expectations were sky-high due to the involvement of these big names, so when the film was critically panned, it was surprising. However,looking back on it over 10 years later, this film is worth revisiting, with its understated and nuanced performances and ideas that turn it into a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Paul Rudd Play to Their Strengths
Subtlety is the name of the game inHow Do You Know, with each actor playing to their strengths under a sheen of simplicity. They are all assigned archetypes, especially in the film’s central love triangle between Lisa (Witherspoon), Matty (Wilson), and George (Rudd). The film follows Lisa as she is cut from her softball team due to her age, andinstead of confronting her emotions, she throws herself into a carefree relationship with the sports star Matty. While still typically emotionally avoidant,Witherspoon gives her character an eye-rolling sharpnessthat makes Lisa still feel independent while she is latching onto Matty’s lifestyle. Meanwhile, Wilson makes his narcissistic, womanizing character still genuinely affable and cluelessly good-hearted; you can’t help but like Matty while being grossed out by his over-preparedness for one-night stands.
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How Do You Knowalso splits its time on George’s storyline with his father, Charles (Nicholson), where he is being indicted for a financial crime his father committed, has just broken up with his noncommittal girlfriend (Shelley Conn), and has an over-protective pregnant assistant (Kathryn Hahn), but still manages to commit to a blind date with Lisa. Throughout all this, George fits snugly into the “nice guy” character, whichRudd gives his signature puppy-dog-eyestreatment plus a healthy dose of existential crisis.He manages to balance people-pleasing with indecision and literally runs away from his problems, giving us an unexpectedly (but ever-so-subtly) layered nice guy. These core actors enrich their archetypal characters with understated shades of nuance that’s easy to miss but sweetly human.
‘How Do You Know’ Was Jack Nicholson’s Last Movie
Looming over the central romance is Charles, an erratic criminal businessman who is determined to manipulate his son into taking the fall for his crimes. It is completely wild that this overlooked rom-com isNicholson’s unofficial farewell to the industry(the actor hasn’t been in a movie since, and has all but officially retired from acting). After boasting an impeccable filmography that includesThe Shining(1980),One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest(1975) andAs Good As it Gets(1997), this commercial flop ends up being his last? While he isn’t given enough breadth to create a soul-scorching performance like he usually does, there are elements of Nicholson’s performance and character that stand out inHow Do You Know.
He plays Charles in an exceedingly mean-spirited way, with his introduction to the film being a spittle-flying tirade in George’s face about being careless and unintelligent.His presence in the film follows this provoking and nasty thread, as Charles constantly condemns his son but also tries to manipulate him. Deceptioneases into Nicholson’s supporting performance, once again in the same understated manner that pervades the movie, as he offers toothy smiles and rigid concern to sway George’s decisions. The father-son chemistry between Nicholson and Rudd complements the former’s domineering performance, making us pity and empathize with the latter.
‘How Do You Know’ Is Now Nostalgic in Its Simplicity
These actors prove they are far more than capable of exhibiting nuance, as their performances and on-screen chemistry partially justify damning plot holes of why Lisa would stay with Matty or why George tolerates his father.How Do You Knowties this all together with everyday colors and a lack of fancy camera work, which is also howsimplicity paves the way to nostalgia. Seen through a contemporary lens, the understated feel of the movie leads to the sentiment of being taken back to “simpler” times.
It’s an era when dating was done through friends giving out your phone number without permission and close-ups ofpre-Ant ManRudd’s sparkling grindominated feel-good rom-coms everywhere.It’s a film that works better now than it did in 2010, needing over a decade to simmer and turn into a timestamp of nostalgia, from celebrating Nichoson’s final appearance on the screen to hailing the genre bigwigs in a project free of unnecessary flourishes.
How Do You Know
