Genres

Visitors Review

Tierneae 2012-05-25 14:31:30

Frustrating, awkward, stilted nonsense

So many elements of this movie were promising. Paul Rudd, a veryhandsome man with a talented smile and twinkling eyes, usuallyfaultless comic timing is utterly wasted in this mess. ReeseWitherspoon, a respectable actress is one of the most unlikablecharacters I have witnessed in a lead role for some time. I normallylike her performances, but this one was dismal, largely based on hersoulless, anaemic, irritating character. Jack Nicholson is secreted inthe recesses of the movie, like a slightly infected crevice, festeringin the background, his occasional appearances uninspired. Owen Wilsonis his typical type-cast self, if less redeemable than usual. Overall,the script will make you want to rip your own ears off rather thansuffer through any more of its agonising awkward pauses, acted instrange gestures and facial expressions. The music is what one wouldexpect from a rom-com-esque piece, nothing special. The camera-work waspassable by Hollywood standards for almost the entirety, except for afew unnecessary shaky close ups. The story-line was pointless.

david martinson 2012-05-24 22:07:03

Flat acting, really flat story...

Really flat characters, bad acting, VERY bad and predictable story...The only good parts are the ones with Owen Wilson, he's as good asusual, but Rudd and Witherspoon are just bad. Like really bad. Rudd'sacting in particular ruins this movie.And why do they feature Jack Nicolson on the cover? He plays such aminor role! Remember Christmas when you were a child? You get a nicepacket, wrapped in nice paper, perhaps even with a nice picture on it,letting you think you know what you get? But when you open it, it'sjust a pair of woolen socks that itch really badly. And the picture wasunrelated to the content. That's what this move is like. It really mademe feel angry. It even made me register to IMDb.com, just to give thismovie the worst rating possible. I wanted to give it minus 10 stars,bud sadly that's not possible.

tedg 2012-05-23 13:05:03

Structure, Team Play

Some filmmakers you just fall into. The ones I hold most dear are thosethat are both expert cinematic storytellers and attempt to reshape me.These are rare, but there is a second tier of cinematic storytellers;although they do not work at deep levels, you just get captured by themastery of the storytelling. Brooks is one of these. He is a master andeven his disaster in 1994 was interesting.This film did poorly in the US. I think it was not zany enough, shortenough or abstracted from reality enough for the audience who isattracted to the form. Perhaps if it is judged as mere candy, it fails.But I found it well met the requirements on which the genre wasfounded: the alternating of charm in the nature of humans with humorabout many of the same traits. This engagement-detachment by humor isperhaps the oldest storytelling device after the technique of omission,and Brooks is delicate if old-fashioned.The story is that he is valued in the business for adding texture ofthese two qualities: humor and endearment. But he gets stuck increating scenes that are no longer than a few minutes, because that iswhat the market pulls. He gets paid extremely well for guiding "TheSimpsons," basically two jokes per show, and also as uncredited scriptdoctor on a scene by scene basis. He hates this, he has said and whenhe can find the space for a long form project, he does it as if hissoul is in the balance.He doesn't start with characters weaving a story, or even a storyproper. He is all about situations and how people react within them asthey try to gain control. Our two main characters here, destined forlove, are struggling less with the lives they are given than thetechniques they had been using until that point to cope. The weapons informing the new situations we desire then to get, are words. And suchwords in dialog that is so perfect we don't deserve the simply bypaying 8 bucks. Brooks is a writer, but it is clear that every line is written within aspecific cinematic vision. Some of the shots here are quiteunconventional, the composition and rhythm of shots is very personaland the flow of the words absolutely matches or is counterpointed tothat rhythm. Watch the motions of the camera and the dialog when Lisais first in George's apartment. This is effective and idiosyncratic toBrooks. It worked for me because these films are all about deferredgratification and he is serious about pushing it.In little things, it works. Witherspoon's lack of sex appeal is handledby making her a tough jock. The formula demands — absolutely demands —that the guy profess his love at the end in front of an audiencerepresenting us. We know he is going to her birthday party to do justthis, but he does not. Instead Brooks has placed a clever scene beforethis, a radically unconventional one that works when paired with whathappens after the party, observed by no one but us and Nicholsen'scharacter. In this scene — possibly the first written — has the twoto-be lovers filming an awkward proposal, and then engaging in are-enactment in a folded engagement. It satisfies the formula withoutfollowing it.There are several folds along these lines, highly structured andeffective.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

2012-05-23 03:54:51

how do you know....an interesting film

You will not be disappointed by jamnes l brooks when it comes to movies the dialogue is always good and the filmsrun smoothly and you are disapointed when they are over. I ws anyways. We dont know if he wrote this treatmentwith this star in mind..and this star shines and raises the material upward since she gravitates the writersdialogue and does with it what the writer does not always have in mind,she does not know,but interacts romanticallywith the male lead,with her own spin on the material. The extra features show a more sophisticated actress withdramatic insights which we have no way of knowing...not the kind of thing tabloids report on. Although it is notand does not pretend to be a baseball movie..those movies with the word blonde in it did the actress a diservice,putting something in our mind,which shouldnt be there,blonde actress,she really is quite good with material and gooddialogue,she is sexy and good looking but hardly a hindrance to any career...but the romance is fun to watch and she gets the better of the situation,and gives it her own by the way she turns the dialogue and relates to the mail,who says woman cant dominate relationships, i see her as the focus of control,and we should tune into more movieswith this actress and i certainly will. Jack nicholson and the baby scene is a laugh,not quite camp,but never intending to be serious but that's not really what the movie is about...the star is the thing...but i love what she does with her roles...good stuff..good to see jack back in films...jack is an actor in the old sense,and in any scene you tend to be absorbed on him,he plays a minor character as always with much bravado and skill...there'sno one in hollywood like him...its good that reese will move aside and allow jack to do his scenes and allow abig name in hollywood into her movies,,,since it is actually her movie

2012-05-22 02:05:23

Heartwarming with Magical Moments

I'm kind of blown away to see that this movie did so poorly over theweekend. I saw it and enjoyed myself and I know others will too. It'snot a flawless movie (but neither is Tron, and just about any otherHollywood movie out there) but it's fun and quirky with a lot of heart.Paul Rudd's performance is incredible and nomination worthy. Lesserknown actor Kathryn Hahn (who apparently was actually pregnant duringfilming) is also a standout, and her scene with actor Lenny Venitotowards the end of the film made my eyes water. There are some definitemagical moments in this film that make up for it's flaws (such as thecheesy scene where Reese gives a speech to her teammates inside herapartment). It's most certainly not a 1 star movie and I hope it sticksaround one more weekend so more people have a chance to see it!

Bruce L. Jones 2012-05-21 09:25:09

A warm, enjoyable story

Tonight it was a rain-soaked, bone-chilling, blustery night and Iwanted to find a warm comforting place to spend some enjoyable time.So, I took myself to the local theater. Of the week's new offerings Ichose this film to see, I'll admit, based almost solely on my pastexperiences seeing films with the principal actors we see here. As itturned out, the film warmed me far more than the stingy heat in thetheater. It was a very comforting presentation to enjoy on a holidayseason night.One can't say a great deal about the staging of a contemporary film.After all, it's not much of a challenge to capture the mundanesurroundings we see every day. The film, then, needs something a lotmore interesting injected into it to make it successful and this onesucceeds marvelously. The plot concerning a down-on-his-luckbusinessman falling head-over-heels for a femjock who's just receivedthe biggest disappointment in her life is just different enough to notbe boring and interesting and fun enough to hold our attention. Thedirector, James L. Brooks (who also scripted and co-produced), has anincredible track record for excellence as writer, producer, anddirector so it creates high expectations in a movie goer. He reallydelivers here with just the right nuance of sentimental warmth andcomedy. Of course, he didn't do it alone, having some tremendous actingtalent to lend a most competent hand.Being me, I couldn't help but first notice the very talented,captivatingly beautiful Reese Witherspoon as Lisa, the athlete. Yes, Ican even buy her as an athlete, something not every actress could carryoff. She most ably, and with seeming ease, injected not only anunmistakable air of beautiful professional competence but a degree ofclass, physical grace and presence that is riveting to watch. It's hardto take your eyes off of her while she's on screen, and she doesn'tdisappoint for a single moment. Whether she's wearing a baseballuniform or elegant evening wear, she's convincing as whoever sheattempts. You just naturally want to like her, to root for her tosucceed and find that most elusive of dreams; happiness. Of course, ascompletely captivating as she is, she's not on screen alone, butsurrounded by a lot of other great talents.Everyone seems to like Paul Rudd; here as George. He's a likableeveryman in the same sort of mold as Jimmy Stewart and his presenceimproves whatever he touches. He creates a character here that justmakes you want to like him and hope he succeeds. Here, he's thedown-on-his-luck businessman who is set up for a blind date with theeffervescent Ms. Witherspoon. I love them as a couple. On screen,they're what a lot of people hope to be; good people who find a waythrough life with someone else. Of course, as films always do, thereare stumbling blocks.The first stumble is that Ms. Reese is first hooked up with a realcharacter played by the wonderfully talented Owen Wilson as Matty, theprofessional baseball player. He is a happy and likable guy with asimple mind and simpler morals who just can't grasp how to treat a lady- or that he really has an incredible lady right there in front of himto lose. Fun ensues and these three, Witherspoon, Rudd and Wilsonreally do have fun on screen and carry us along for the ride. (NOTE:One can't help but notice the quite accurate depiction of the immensedifference in the way the world treats highly successful athletes ofboth genders. While the males are showered with obscene amounts of cashand attention, the equally great, or even perhaps better, femaleathletes have to settle for little more than faint praise and a pat onthe back.) I was also highly entertained by a wonderful supportingcast, led by none other than the legendary Jack Nicholson as Charlie,Rudd's father and playing as fine a slime-ball as ever graced thesilver screen. Thank you, Jack, for giving me a villain worthy ofdisliking.Now, add to this already fine mix the talent of Kathryn Hahn as Annie,Rudd's very pregnant assistant. She adds a real element of class towhat otherwise may have been a mundane role. She really hits her stridein a scene with the great character actor Lenny Venito, as Al, herbaby's co-producer. This pair have one of those screen moments that isso terrific it comes very close to overshadowing the main plot.Other memorable performances came from Molly Price as Coach Sally (eventhough her part was small she shone) and a humorous John Tormey as thedoorman and, last-but-not-least the always great Tony Shalhoub as apsychiatrist Ms. Reese almost visits. The short exchange between themis very fun to watch.All-in-all it's a great film to take someone you love to during thisholiday season.By Bruce L. Jones http://webpages.charter.net/bruce.jones1/

2012-05-20 21:53:50

surprised this film isn't rated higher

This film is well written, well acted, funny, entertaining, and even touching. It isn't Oscar material but it is well worth viewing and thoroughly enjoyable. Given the useless chick flick films out with Jennifer Aniston, you would think that this film would get more appreciation in it's ratings. It is a four star film. I have given it five stars to balance out some of the ridiculously low ratings some viewers have given it, I assume because they don't like films that are romantic comedies. My advice to them? Watch something else. But if you are in the mood for a quality romantic comedy then curl up with this one. Highly recommended

crigarza 2012-05-20 10:33:40

Bit funny, but not all that much...

There are some laughs here and there, and one cares for some of thecharacters, at least for moments, but not much and not all the time. I cannot put my finger on it, but the whole movie feels awfully dated,the cinematography, the delivery of the dialog, the rhythm of thescenes, or the music, I cannot say exactly what it is but it feels asif the movie was "made for TV in the 80's". The cast is outstanding, some lines are funny and well delivered, butsomehow things don't come together well in the end. What was mostdisappointing was that some of the corks o Rudd and Wilson made themlikable but their decision making seem not only implausible but... "oh,who cares!!"

2012-05-19 16:56:39

Poorly Written / Acted

This review is from: How Do You Know (Amazon Instant Video) We read the reviews and they said don't waste your time. We did it anyway .... REALLY, don't waste your time with this movie.

ladolceina 2012-05-19 05:46:38

Def Worth the rental!!!

The marketing was way off on this movie. This movie could have donebetter in theaters of not for Bad bad marketing. Obviously someonedidn't understand James L Brooks audience and tried to go for ReeseWitherspoon's fans instead. Not a smart move.Should have been pumped asa James L Brooks movie. Definitely should have featured the fact thatReese Witherspoon plays an athlete!! I didn't see it in the theatersbecause it just seemed like that stock character Reese usually plays.Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Jack--great acting!!! Everyone's in limbo andtrying to move forward through uncertainty, which many people canrelate to. Locations are beautiful. Owen Wilson is excellent as theaffable cad. Not as well-paced as As Good as It Gets, but it'sdefinitely a good flick for movie night.

SMcritic 2012-05-13 00:57:33

Wish I hadn't known..

This is one of those movies where the trailer is deceptive and far moreappealing than the actual movie. I subscribed it on netflix and reallyhad to plow through the movie to get it done. Let me count what allwent wrong with this movie 1. They should have made it as anindependent film instead of a big budget A lister kind of Hollywoodfare. So no expectation no disappointments.2. There are separate story lines going on in the movie which havelittle connection or logic between them.It was like watching differentmovies in the same reel.3. Except Paul Rudd who fit the role like nobody's business , everyoneelse was awkward. Agreed Jack Nicholson can pull through anything butOh my God, Reese witherspoon was beyond reproach. Her character was themost badly scripted role ever. She is almost bipolar - one time preppedand charged , one time down and sad..One time decisive , next minuteindecisive and confused. And why why why could the director NOT LET HERFINISH A LINE WITHOUT PAUSING AND CHANGING TRACK 10 TIMES!! What she'sdoing throughout the movie is anybody's guess.Owen Wilson is not worthmentioning really.4. They cheat you by coining it a romantic comedy. No one had chemistrywith each other ( except the pregnant secretary and paul rudd as herboss)and no it was not really funny. Most lines are preachy if at allanyone is allowed to complete a thought.5.Almost too sappy right till the ending but not a single passionate ,breathtaking moment , not even a decent kiss.

Parisa Michelle 2012-05-12 08:02:55

Saw the Premiere - Loved the Chick Flick!

"We're all just one small adjustment away from making our lives work,"says one of Reese Witherspoon's two love interests in her upcomingmovie, How Do You Know. And by "small adjustment" he meant the additionof Reese's love into his own life - a life which had taken a bit of awrong turn without any fault of his own but which he knew could becourse-corrected with the love of the right woman by his side.How Do You Know takes a contemporary and romantic look at the question,"How do you know (when you are in love?)" In this movie, Reese has twoequally-cute but horribly messed up men vying for her love - played byOwen Wilson and Paul Rudd. Each man would bring unique charm,potential, challenges, compatibility and inherent flaws to the table -and it's up to Reese to realize which one of the two men is the love ofher life.I won't tell you whom she picks or if she picks either at all, but Iwill tell you to go see this incredibly heart-warming movie. I don'tknow why movie critics make a habit of slamming one romantic comedyafter another, like they have done with this movie. I mean, seriously,we don't go into such films looking for Oscar-worthy moments. Those ofus who love light-hearted romances, simply want a break from our everyday lives and in that respect, this movie delivers enough charm, laughsand touching moments to qualify as a a great chick flick.Parisa, www.CelebMagnet.com

2012-05-10 01:21:58

HOW DO YOU KNOW

This review is from: How Do You Know (DVD) GREAT MOVIE about how we should look listen and watch how others react to our needs.. relationships must be servant hearted to make us handle each others likes and dislikes..

tombrookes2007 2012-05-09 13:42:03

Odd waste of a Rom-com, you KNOW it's a miss

From the title, to the cast, to the characters, this film is totallylacking and lame. The Rom-com is trying to be smart, with mind boringdialog, and suffers from a real vital lack of charisma and likablecharacters. There is little chemistry and content and so confuses andirritates rather than entertain and provide face softening smiles. Froma director with a mixed CV, you can almost see into the thinking forelements being the way they are (looking at past films) but the Rom-comelement here is lacking both romance and comedy.Witherspoon is annoying, Rudd is a Rom-com whore, Owen Wilson is hisusual effortless self, and Nickelson just looks ill. Surely a betterscript and direction could have made something more bearable than this.The other fact that the lead lady is a retiring baseball player, datinganother player, will also be lost on non Americans.

Jizdenky 2012-05-08 13:01:38

Nothing To Know Here

'How Do You Know' is pretty much just another recycled romantic'comedy'. The 'comedy' aspect is very questionable because most of thejokes fall flat and much of the other attempts at humour just don'twork. The attempts to make the Witherspoon-Wilson track a 'not rightfor each other' pair felt a forced while the Witherspoon-Rudd trackfelt a little rushed. The Nicholson-Rudd track felt a little awkwardand the Hahn-Rudd track was endearing. Despite the weak plot, it is theactors who make 'How Do You Know' somewhat watchable. Paul Rudd, ReeseWitherspoon, Owen Wilson and Kathryn Hahn have good chemistry. Wilson'sMatty suffers from sketchy characterization. Hahn provides excellentcomic relief in her short screen time. Witherspoon is vivacious andRudd is first rate. Nicholson does an adequate job. I wonder what atalented director like James L. Brooks, who has made a variety of greatmovies (including one of my favourites 'As Good As It Gets'), saw inthis.

R Charles 2012-05-08 03:44:45

Excellent

Dear Gracie Films, I was sitting in a room with SAG and Sag Nominating Commitee memberslast night. I have to see this movie again because everyone waslaughing so much I missed half the dialogue. Stellar, writing, stellarperformances and just fun and funny. Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoonhave a great chemistry. And I loved the lighting. Crisp bright. It'sbeen awhile since I've laughed the entire time I watched a movie. Andit's been awhile since I felt like a movie had an underlining them ofmorality. Not preaching but just communicating about ethics. Myfavorite line from the movie, "Are you an ethical Mutant?" LOL James L.Brooks master comedic man. Great Flick!! Sincerely, R.Charles

Jim Chudnow 2012-05-02 02:35:18

A bunch of MAJOR stars in a sadly MINOR script

Writer – Director JAMES BURROWS has a great history of fine work insituation comedies such as "CHEERS", "TAXI", "FRASIER" & "WILL &GRACE". This movie is his latest work. Sadly, it's nowhere near up tothe quality of the TV shows mentioned…… Before I saw an advance screening of this film, I heard at least 2people talk about the film. The talk didn't concern the work in themovie-- but rather the fact that the salaries for the director & majorcast members alone accounted for like $ 50 million (= 1/2 or so) of thecost of making it, a frightening & to-me ridiculous amount in thesetimes for a movie like this… … Lisa Jorgenson (REESE WITHERSPOON) is a 27-year-old baseball playerwho works hard to try to get chosen as a member for the USA's nationalfemale baseball team. A teammate friend of hers feels it'd be good forher to know non-athlete men, & recommends that a businessman namedGeorge (PAUL RUDD) call her for a date. He seems wacky & makes a badimpression on her…… In her "everyday" life, Reese has been dating a supposed pitchingphenom for the Washington Nationals team named Matty (OWEN Wilson).Owen is a "SERIAL" dater, loving anonymous sex & a grade "F" FLAKE, whokeeps talking about his supposed "growth" as shown by his new"attitudes" & way of "thinking" in life…… Reese supposedly is a "POSITIVE" thinker type, surrounding herselfwith Post-It notes with "constructive" thoughts all around her (even inthe bathroom). But, she doesn't ACT optimistic at all, especially whenshe hears some discouraging news. Why she "puts-up" with the meanderingthoughts of Owen is a mystery, but she keeps going "BACK" to him…… Paul is a "HANDS-OFF" type of businessman-- not knowing what's"going-on" around him, & not much caring. His father Charles (JACKNICHOLSON) runs the company he works for, & is not very "supportive"when Paul learns he's being threatened with problems by U.S. Governmentinvestigators. The only one really sympathetic to him is his unmarriedpregnant assistant Annie (KATHRYN HAHN)… … As things grow worse in life for Paul, he keeps contacting Reese, whoeventually starts to spend a bit of time with him since she's"on-&-off" with Owen in that period. When Owen sees them together, hegets jealous, & things keep going "back-&-forth" in awkwardrelationships between the 3 of them…… Paul becomes clearly "TAKEN" with Reese as a possible partner inlife, & his relationship grows increasingly complicated with his dadJack (who's usually "blustering" & posturing for his own well-being)… … Will Reese "wake-up" to whether there's a feasible "future" withOwen?... Will Paul be able to ESCAPE problems with the government?...Will Paul get closer to Jack?... WHO will Reese choose to be with bythe end of the movie?...… As a friend commented to me after we saw the advance screening, itwas maddening the way the main characters were ALL so "WISHY-WASHY",not clear what on earth they really WANTED in life… … And that's a major PROBLEM with this film: it's NOT particularly a"comedy" (which it's being "sold" as): there's a bunch of underlyingSERIOUS "observations" in the midst of the indecisive & vascilatingactions of almost ALL the main characters…… The dialogue & characters are amazingly "WEAK" & UN-clever, with astrange LACK of real funniness (for someone with Burrows' background)…The only really amusing & "effective" character is pregnant assistantKathryn… … Owen is unbelievable as a "pitcher", massively self-centered, & moreODD & FOOLISH than funny in demeanor & attitude, & it's almost"insulting" to think that supposedly "with-it" Reese would keepPUTTING- UP with him… Virtually ANYONE could have played the role thatJack has, since it's so ineffectually written…… But, to me, the problem is the SCRIPT-- the main actors (all of whomI quite LIKE overall from their past work) do what they "can" with therole they've been given… Did the STUDIO (financial backers) tend toissue "demands" in how the film was made?...… Whatever the "cause" for the final product, while it's not a "bad"film (in that it's got some decent "sensitive" elements), it's sadlyFAR from anything really "good", & thus I'm rating it at only 6.5 starsout of 10…

pletho 2012-05-01 14:03:29

I absolutely loved this movie!!!

I don't know what is wrong with so many people!? My husband and Ithought this was one of the best movies we have seen in a very longtime! The dialog was excellent, the actors were excellent, the storywas excellent! This movie was totally enjoyable. You do have to payattention and you do have to think some when watching this movie. Maybethat was why so many people gave this wonderful movie a low rating :o(Paul Rudd is now one of my new favorite actors. Reese Witherspooncontinues to be one of my favorites. Jack Nicholson was superb, asalways. Owen Wilson was....well, he was classic Owen Wilson! Bravo,James L. Brooks!

Marie D 2012-05-01 02:28:34

How Do You Know When to Walk Out and Get a Refund.

This was the most horrible movie I've seen in the last three years. Every moment was painful to sit through. I went to a five dollar matinee with a group of people and had I gone alone I would have walked out within the first fifteen minutes. I can't get back the two hours of my life I lost sitting there. There wasn't one thing I can say good other then it's over and I never have to see it again. There is no storyline, no plot, no character development, no sense, no sanity, no ryhme or reason. I could have written this script in my sleep and it would have turned out better. Run, don't walk away from seeing this horrible film, if you can call it that. Reese Witherspoon and Jack Nicholson's careers must be washed up for them to take on these roles. The acting was horrible and the lines had no sense or identity. The previews are put together to make this movie look like a movie, when in reality it's a mix of ramblings, time-fillers, and empty thoughts. I rarely review anything but I want to stop any person from wasting their money to see this movie. This waste of my time movie has now spoiled any chance of me going to see anything for awhile.

2012-04-30 15:45:42

really disappointing

This review is from: How Do You Know (Amazon Instant Video) I was shocked how bad this movie was. I love romantic comedies, even the stupid ones the critics tear apart, but the critics were right about this one, the acting was awful and the scenes just went no where. There wasn't anything redeeming about this movie at all.