After being cut from the usa softball team and feeling a bit past her prime lisa finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle as a corporate guy in crisis competes with her current baseball-playing beau. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 03/22/2011 Starring: Reese Witherspoon Owen Wilson Run time: 121 minutes Rating: Pg13 Director: James L. BrooksCompared to previous James L. Brooks dramedies, like
As Good As It Gets,
How Do You Know feels slight, but it still marks an improvement over the ill-conceived
Spanglish. The setup begins with a newly minted couple and a brand-new single. Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), a pro softball player, dates Matty (Owen Wilson), a major-league pitcher, who lives in the same Washington, D.C., high rise as financial exec Charles (Jack Nicholson, looking ill at ease), whose son and employee, George ! (Paul Rudd), gets the boot from his girlfriend after he loses his job. When George meets Lisa, who didn't make the team, sparks fly, but she's unavailable, so they get on with their lives. Hardly the brightest bulb, Matty raises Lisa's spirits with his goofy antics, so she moves in with him. Then George finds out he faces charges for tax fraud, even though he broke no laws. While his pregnant assistant, Annie (
Crossing Jordan's Kathryn Hahn), supports him through the crisis, he can't stop thinking about the blonde from the elevator, so he tries to get to know Lisa better. Throughout the rest of this glossy entertainment, their friendship verges on romance, but Lisa stays with Matty, until Annie helps her to see George clearly for the first time. As love triangles go, Brooks isn't reinventing the wheel, making this underwritten affair one of his less inspired creations, but Witherspoon, Rudd, and Wilson are good company--even if the latter is essentially reprising his! vacuous
Zoolander character (just substitute baseball ! for mode ling).
--Kathleen C. FennessyFrom legendary director/writer James L. Brooks comes a humorous and romantic look at the “How Do You Know†question. When everything she’s ever known is suddenly taken from her, Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) begins a fling with Matty (Owen Wilson), a major league baseball player and self-centered ladies man. Before their relationship takes off, Lisa meets up with George (Paul Rudd) a straight-arrow businessman facing his own serious issues, both with his father (Jack Nicholson) and the law. Just when everything seems to be falling apart it doesn't.Compared to previous James L. Brooks dramedies, like
As Good As It Gets,
How Do You Know feels slight, but it still marks an improvement over the ill-conceived
Spanglish. The setup begins with a newly minted couple and a brand-new single. Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), a pro softball player, dates Matty (Owen Wilson), a major-league pitcher, who lives in the same Washington, D.C.! , high rise as financial exec Charles (Jack Nicholson, looking ill at ease), whose son and employee, George (Paul Rudd), gets the boot from his girlfriend after he loses his job. When George meets Lisa, who didn't make the team, sparks fly, but she's unavailable, so they get on with their lives. Hardly the brightest bulb, Matty raises Lisa's spirits with his goofy antics, so she moves in with him. Then George finds out he faces charges for tax fraud, even though he broke no laws. While his pregnant assistant, Annie (
Crossing Jordan's Kathryn Hahn), supports him through the crisis, he can't stop thinking about the blonde from the elevator, so he tries to get to know Lisa better. Throughout the rest of this glossy entertainment, their friendship verges on romance, but Lisa stays with Matty, until Annie helps her to see George clearly for the first time. As love triangles go, Brooks isn't reinventing the wheel, making this underwritten affair one of his less inspired cr! eations, but Witherspoon, Rudd, and Wilson are good company--e! ven if t he latter is essentially reprising his vacuous
Zoolander character (just substitute baseball for modeling).
--Kathleen C. FennessyHolly (Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming caterer and Messer (Josh Duhamel) is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, all they have is common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Judging career ambitions and competing social calendars, they’ll have to find common ground while living under the same roof. Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks, Hayes MacArthur and Jean Smart co-star in this tart and tender romantic comedy directed by Greg Berlanti (TV’s
Brothers & Sisters and
Everwood). In
Life as We Know It, Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel discover that their closest friends have appointed them guardians of their child in the unlikely e! vent of their joint death--an unlikely event that has just happened. Make no mistake: There's no reason this movie should have been any good. The premise is the worst kind of formulaic Hollywood claptrap; the pleasant but cautious Heigl (
Knocked Up) is playing yet another uptight fussbudget; since a promising movie debut in the underrated
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, Duhamel has largely coasted on his looks in tripe like the
Transformers movies--yet
Life as We Know It is surprisingly likable. After the movie gets through the basic exposition--and navigates some radical shifts in tone with unexpected deftness--the script somehow manages to make its clichés into something resembling real human situations. The colorful supporting characters are all entertainingly written and well played by a solid cast. And both Heigl and Duhamel give understated, engaging performances that manage to make the inevitable conclusion seem almost not inevitable. Dire! ctor Greg Berlanti (
The Broken Hearts Club) deserves ku! dos for skillfully balancing humor and pathos and turning this unpromising material into a sincere and enjoyable movie.
--Bret FetzerJennifer Aniston stars alongside Jason Bateman in this offbeat comedy as Kassie, a smart, fun-loving single woman who, despite her neurotic best friend Wally’s (Bateman) objections, decides it’s time to have a baby â€" even if it means doing it herself…with a little help from a charming sperm donor (Patrick Wilson). But, unbeknownst to her, Kassie’s plans go awry because of a last-minute switch that isn’t discovered until seven years later…when Wally gets acquainted with Kassie’s cute â€" though slightly neurotic â€" son. From the people behind
Little Miss Sunshine and
Juno comes
The Switch.Jennifer Aniston continues her breezy success as queen of the contemporary romantic comedy in the offbeat
The Switch, which brings together elements of
When Harry Met Sally… and even episodes of
Friends. Aniston is charming and capable as Kassie, an accomplished New York career gal who decides it's time to have a baby--husband or no husband. But in The Switch it's the men around Kassie who become truly memorable, and for which The Switch becomes a must-see. Kassie's best friend is Wally (the wryly and neurotically hilarious Jason Bateman), who may have deeper feelings for his good friend than he's willing to admit. Kassie's recruited sperm donor is Roland, the handsome Nordic hunk with a sweet heart, played with finesse by Broadway star Patrick Wilson. And the fruit of the insemination is Kassie's son, Sebastian, acted with gravitas and thoughtfulness by the young Thomas Robinson, who's so talented he should grow up to be a huge star. Special mention goes to Jeff Goldblum, who takes his own befuddled persona stereotype to new heights as Wally's concerned friend Leonard. All Aniston really has to do is not overdo the "cute" as she dances among these talented! actors, and she accomplishes far more than that. "The switch"! of the title involves a snafu during the process of Kassie's insemination--and the results of that plot twist shape the rest of the movie. Though audiences can see much more quickly whom Kassie belongs with, before Kassie or her guys do, the ride is thoroughly believable, human, and gently entertaining. The humor in The Switch can be bawdy but it underscores the timeless quest for love and family. Kassie--and all the "men" in her life--deserve it, and watching them on that journey makes for a delightful experience. --A.T. HurleyWHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW?! is a new type of film. It is part documentary, part story, and part elaborate and inspiring visual effects and animations. The protagonist, Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin, finds herself in a fantastic Alice in Wonderland experience when her daily, uninspired life literally begins to unravel, revealing the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what we consider to be our normal, waking reality. She is lit! erally plunged into a swirl of chaotic occurrences, while the characters she encounters on this odyssey reveal the deeper, hidden knowledge she doesn?t even realize she has asked for. Like every hero, Amanda is thrown into crisis, questioning the fundamental premises of her life ? that the reality she has believed in about how men are, how relationships with others should be, and how her emotions are affecting her work isn?t reality at all!The unlikeliest cult hit of 2004 was What the (Bleep) Do We Know?, a lecture on mysticism and science mixed into a sort-of narrative. Marlee Matlin stars in the dramatic thread, about a sourpuss photographer who begins to question her perceptions. Interviews with quantum physics experts and New Age authors are cut into this story, offering a vaguely convincing (and certainly mind-provoking) theory about... well, actually, it sounds a lot like the Power of Positive Thinking, when you get down to it. Talking heads (not identified unt! il film's end) include JZ Knight, who appears in the movie ch! anneling Ramtha, the ancient sage she claims communicates through her (other speakers are also associated with Knight's organization). What she says actually makes pretty good common sense--Ramtha's wiggier notions are not included--and would be easy to accept were it not being credited to a 35,000-year-old mystic from Atlantis. --Robert HortonFor Becky (Rachel McAdams, The Notebook), running a TV show in New York City was the big break she dreamed of…until star co-anchors Mike (Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones) and Colleen (Diane Keaton, Something’s Gotta Give) declare an all-out, on-air war. Making the show work with its cast of eccentric characters and outrageous story angles will take a major miracle, but Becky is ready to rise and outshine. From the writer of The Devil Wears Prada and 27 Dresses, Morning Glory is a “Tart, terrific comedy*†that critics rave is, “Smart! Fresh! Brilliant! Heartwarming! Morning Glo! ry has it all!*†*Peter Travers , Rolling Stone **Neil Rosen, NY1Morning Glory showcases the comedic (and romantic) talents of two cute couples of different ages--Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton (never sparklier) and the adorable Rachel McAdams and Patrick Wilson. Love can bloom, no matter what time of life, or, as the setting of Morning Glory underscores, no matter what time of day. McAdams is excellent and darling as an ambitious TV producer who vows to turn around a sinking morning TV news show by bringing in a heavyweight anchor (Ford) to pair with the lighthearted, deft Keaton. But Ford wants none of the "news lite" that morning shows need to surface, so sparks fly between the bickering co-anchors almost immediately. Happily, Ford is easier in his skin in Morning Glory than he has been in some of his past romantic efforts (Six Days Seven Nights), so he and Keaton play off each other easily and believably. In a parallel story, McAdams's Beck! y is pursued by Wilson's Adam, which takes Ms. Focused Career ! Girl (if not the viewer) by surprise. The direction by Roger Michell (Notting Hill) is crisp, although the script by Aline Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) isn't particularly funny. (Adam thinks Ford's character, Pomeroy, is the "third worst person in the world," after Kim Jong Il and… Angela Lansbury.) But the world of TV news portrayed in Morning Glory is as immersive as it is in Broadcast News, and the romantic subplots truly are romantic. There's love in the air--and on the air--in Morning Glory. --A.T. HurleyDanny Maccabee (Adam Sandler) meets the girl of his dreams (Brooklyn Decker) but has to enlist his loyal assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to pretend to be his soon-to-be ex-wife in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, Katherine’s kids become involved, and everyone heads off to Hawaii for a ridiculous, out-of-control weekend that tests the limits of how far we’ll go for love.It all comes ! down to chemistry. And the two main stars of Just Go with It, Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, thankfully, have chemistry to spare. Both actors have plenty of sheer likability and honest ease, as well as sparks in just the right places, which helps propel Just Go with It to its satisfying (if a bit predictable) conclusion. (Hollywood execs: Consider an update of Moonlighting starring these two.) If the premise, loosely based on the Goldie Hawn film Cactus Flower, stretches reality, the capability of the whole cast makes Just Go with It an enjoyable ride. Sandler plays Danny, a surgeon who falls for a much-younger bombshell, Palmer (swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker, a surprisingly natural actress). But when Palmer finds the fake wedding band that commitment-phobe Danny has used for his no-strings-attached previous relationships, the web of fibs begins. Danny asks his assistant, Katherine (Aniston), to pretend to be his soon-to-be-ex-wife, a! nd Aniston plays it to the hilt. But soon Danny's wobbly house! of card s includes Katherine's children--and, in the ultimate romantic-comedy trope, a group trip to Hawaii to work things out. The cast really is stellar, including very small supporting roles by Nicole Kidman and singer Dave Matthews, as an insufferable couple disliked intensely by Katherine. (Of course they end up in Hawaii with the gang, too.) Minka Kelly, Kevin Nealon, and Rachel Dratch also make memorable cameos. But it's Sandler and Aniston, along with the snappy direction by Dennis Dugan (Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy), who make Just Go with It one of the more romantic--and funny--romantic comedies in recent memory. Our advice: Sit back, and just go with it. --A.T. HurleyIn six months, the population of Cromwell, Oklahoma, has climbed from 500 to 10,000. Boom times have come to the oil-rich town. So has a new breed of criminal. You Know My Name is the fact-based story of Bill Tilghman, a lawman and former partner of Wyatt Earp confronted by an emerging! era when outlaws run whiskey instead of cattle and are likely to tote a tommy gun as carry a six-gun. An ideally cast Sam Elliott plays Tilghman, whose life takes on a newfangled wrinkle of its own. Tilghman makes a moving picture of his Old West exploits; and the success of that silent film, The Passing of the Oklahoma Outlaws, spreads his reputation like a brushfire. But that reputation may mean nothing to a thug (Arliss Howard) who hides behind a badge.Cromwell, Oklahoma, 1924: an oil boomtown full of saloons, cathouses, mud-and-crude-oil streets, bootleg whisky, and gun-toting roughnecks. Technology had overpassed the Old West, in the form of Model T's and oil rigs, but the mentality had stayed much the same. Add to that a population that's a bit tweaky from a combination of cocaine and morphine that had been going around, and you have a recipe for trouble. Enter Marshall Bill Tilghman, a contemporary of Wyatt Earp. Tilghman had made a silent film, The Passing of th! e Oklahoma Outlaws, and on the strength of his reputation ! had been called into service as chief of police in the hopes of restoring order to a lawless community. In this fact-based story, Sam Elliott plays Tilghman, a larger-than-life character who was one of the last of a dying era. Many Prohibition agents became renegades in the '20s; Tilghman's nemesis was Wiley (Arliss Howard), a rogue agent strung out on drugs and dealing in bootleg liquor himself. Howard's performance is as overwrought as Elliott's is restrained; together the two offset each other well. The flinty Elliott brings a measure of warmth to his role, especially in his relationship to his wife and kids; he's perfectly cast as the man on the cusp of a new age. As a modern-era Western, You Know My Name rises well above its made-for-cable roots to stand as a good character study and action picture. --Jerry Renshaw
