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"HOW DO YOU KNOW" (2010) (Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd) (PG-13) QUICK TAKE: Romantic Comedy: When she's cut from a professional softball team, a young woman finds herself torn between her womanizing, professional baseball player boyfriend and an unsure corporate officer who's under federal scrutiny for business wrongdoing. PLOT: Lisa (REESE WITHERSPOON) is a professional softball player who's been a jock most of her life to the point that she only dates other athletes. Her latest boyfriend is Matty (OWEN WILSON), a professional baseball player who's confident in his womanizing ways, but thinks he might be falling for Lisa and thus asks her to move in with him. Corporate man Charles (JACK NICHOLSON) also lives in that same building, but his focus is on a federal subpoena that's been served to his adult son, George (PAUL RUDD), who runs the daily operations of their company but is surprised by the charges leveled against him. The same holds true for his very pregnant but single assistant, Annie (KATHRYN HAHN), who doesn't like the way Charles treats George. Having been set up on an unscheduled blind date by her friend and fellow player, Lisa ends up going to dinner with George, but with his confidence shaken, he doesn't make much of an impression on her. Then again, when she's cut from her team, she ends up in the same boat. From that point on, and despite wanting to remain as Matty's girlfriend, Lisa must choose between him and George and the various bits of emotional and behavioral baggage they bring to the romantic quandary. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? They might if they're fans of anyone in the cast or romantic comedies. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For sexual content and some strong language (on appeal/re-edit -- Originally rated R for some language). CAST AS ROLE MODELS: REESE WITHERSPOON plays a professional softball player whose confidence is somewhat shattered when she's cut from her team. She's dating Matty and eventually moves in with him, but then gets upset by his womanizing and other less than favorable ways and moves out, only to repeat the cycle. She also puts up with George and his odd behavior around her, seemingly sensing he's interested in her but never really telling him to back off. She drinks (including to the point of intoxication). PAUL RUDD plays a man in charge of his father's company's day-to-day operations who finds himself being investigated by the feds for corporate wrongdoing. His confidence and happiness vary moment to moment, although he's steadfast in his attraction toward Lisa and the related frustration of her staying with Matty who's obviously wrong for her. He drinks (including to the point of intoxication) and must face a tough decision at the end of film regarding him and his father. OWEN WILSON plays a pro baseball player and chronic ladies man who thinks he's fallen for Lisa and asks her to move in, but then continues trying to live the bachelor lifestyle, including wanting to have anonymous sex on the road. Despite his ways, he possesses enough charm to keep pulling Lisa back in. JACK NICHOLSON plays George's manipulative father who isn't happy with his son regarding the federal investigation, although his lashing out is really masking his own wrongdoing. He uses strong profanity and briefly drinks. KATHRYN HAHN plays George's pregnant but single assistant who's worried about George and torn up that she can't legally tell him anything about the case against him. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this romantic comedy that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 2 "f" words (and another incomplete one), while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present (as are some brief song lyrics), while off-screen sex occurs (and is briefly heard in one instance), a man gropes a woman's chest, and a woman is seen in lingerie. Violence includes a brief shove to the ground, some accidental injuries (although nothing bad or long-lasting), and brief off-screen property damage. Bad attitudes are present, as are instances of potentially imitative behavior. Drinking occurs in various scenes, including several instances of intoxication. A little bit of crude humor is present as is tense family material and various thematic elements. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there's some handheld camera movement early in the film in a home movie. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Lisa tells her friend Reba not to listen to her when she's been drinking Guinness (beer). Matty brings over tropical looking drinks for himself and Lisa (she's still in bed) in the morning (we don't know if they contain alcohol or not). George makes himself a Bloody Mary and then pours liquor straight into the blender when he's apparently consumed all of the mixed drink (and he then appears and acts intoxicated, including tumbling down his steps). At dinner, George tells Lisa they should order drinks, but she says she won't be having any, but that he can. He then states drinking heavily two nights in a row might not be a good idea, while she says she follows her father's advice on drinking: Don't drink to feel better, drink to feel even better. Miscellaneous people drink in a bar. People drink at a party. Lisa asks George if he has any Guinness (beer). He then starts to rush out to buy some, but adds that he makes a great drink as well (while she states that she's going to get drunk). After returning from the store, she finishes her glass of beer while he mixes up his drinks (and they both have a little). She later appears a little intoxicated and playfully asks if he's glad he fed her all of these drinks. Charles has a drink. People have drinks at a party. BLOOD/GROSS STUFF George urinates in his bathroom, but the half-wall there blocks any view and we don't see anything (just as Annie calls him on the phone). Matty tells Lisa the story of a guy cut from a team who collected "cat sh*t" and sent the "turds" to the coach (with the joke being he did that until the cat died). Making an analogy to his corporate wrongdoing, Charles says they know that "pissing" on the street is against the law, and that what they did was akin to spitting. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE A boy pushes a younger girl (Lisa) to the ground after he fails to hit a baseball off a t-ball stand, but she manages to hit it after he gives up. The male leader of a softball team tells the female coach and other women that while they (including himself) have female players, they don't need to get "girlie" when making a decision on who makes the team. George receives a subpoena from the U.S. Justice Dept. about him (meaning his company) being investigated for wire fraud (later amended to stock fraud). About their company's new legal difficulties, Charles is demeaning to George (his adult son) and his leadership style at the company, and even says to him, "You are a f*cking moron." He also says that if it came down to it, he'd pick his company over his son, no matter how much that might hurt. Learning of the federal subpoena he faces, George's girlfriend says maybe they should take a break (of dating) until he's done with all of that. Matty tells Lisa the story of a guy cut from a team who collected "cat sh*t" and sent the "turds" to the coach (with the joke being he did that until the cat died). Matty asks other baseball players how they know they're in love. One man states he knows he's in love with a woman when he wears condoms with the other girls. Matty is rude to George upon first meeting him (in Matty's apartment as George chats with Lisa). He then complains to Lisa that the apartment is his place (rather than their place after he's asked her to move in with him). A doorman tells a white lie to Charles about not being able to stop George before he left, while George then tells a white lie to Lisa. SPOILER ALERT: Charles admits that he bribed an Egyptian official for his company to do business there, and then allowed the blame (and subpoena) to fall on his son. Before he heads off on the road for games, Lisa asks Matty if they're monogamous. He replies "essentially," with her asking what that means. He then says that if it bothers here, he'll try to cut down on the anonymous sex, with her repeating that term to him in question. FRIGHTENING SCENES A car nearly hits George as he jaywalks (played lightly). GUNS/WEAPONS Annie says that knowing about the federal case against George but not being able to tell him is like knowing someone is going to shoot him with a gun but being unable to let him know. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You are a f*cking moron," "Chicken-sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "Holy crap," "Bastards," "Weirdo," "You have all the signs of a handful," "Gonna blow your mind," "Nuts" (crazy), "The hell with everything," "Turds," "Back the hell off," "Freaking," "A little too pissed off," "(I think) I screwed up," "What the hell do you know?" "Why don't you shut up?" "Oh jeez," "Wow. You're a real chick magnet, aren't you?" "I went nuts," "You damn narcissist" and "You ethical mutant." Upset about what's happening to him, George heaves a grilled steak somewhere off into the distance. Matty tells Lisa the story of a guy cut from a team who collected "cat sh*t" and sent the "turds" to the coach (with the joke being he did that until the cat died). Lisa playfully punches Matty's shoulder/arm. We see a small tattoo on Matty's shoulder. Frustrated, George bends over and purposefully slams his head onto a table (once). A car nearly hits George as he jaywalks (played lightly). JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) None. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) While intoxicated, George (by himself) sings along to a song that has lyrics about "Let's take a shower together," washing each other's bodies, and rubbing him down with oil. Later, while making drinks for Lisa, he sings a few of those lines to himself, although Lisa can partially hear him, but doesn't seem to understand what he's lightly singing. PROFANITY At least 2 "f" words (and another incomplete one), 4 "s" words, 1 slang term using male genitals ("pr*ck"), 4 damns, 4 hells, 1 crap, 9 uses of "Oh my God," 5 of "Oh God," 3 of "God" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "Jesus" and "Oh my Lord." SEX/NUDITY Lisa shows cleavage. George's girlfriend mentions them intensifying their relationship of recent, but they don't make it clear if that means they've just had sex or what. Lisa finally decides to spend the night at Matty's place, and the next morning we see her still in bed (we see her red, cleavage-revealing bra). He returns with morning drinks and they chat, including him saying the sex was amazing and that female jocks are also amazing (meaning in relation to sex). He continues, saying it was unbelievable, but is disappointed she isn't as enthusiastic, prompting her to reply, "It was good, yeah." She then gets up and is in a red teddy (or similar lingerie) as she goes into the bathroom to brush her teeth. There, she finds many toothbrushes as well as women's clothing (meaning he has many women over to his place who stay overnight). She then complains to him that she feels like she's on an assembly line, but he tries to explain that everyone is until you find the right "product" that you then take home. She then agrees with him that the sex was amazing, and we then see her walking down the street in her wrinkled dress (from the night before). Annie is pregnant without knowing if the father will be in the picture (he finally is, at the end). While intoxicated, George (by himself) sings along to a song that has lyrics about "Let's take a shower together," washing each other's bodies, and rubbing him down with oil. Later, while making drinks for Lisa, he sings a few of those lines to himself, although Lisa can partially hear him, but doesn't seem to understand what he's lightly singing. We see Annie's very pregnant bare belly as she rubs that. Lisa shows a little cleavage. At a party, and trying to make Lisa feel it's not too wild/raunchy, Matty takes another man's hand off a woman's clothed breast. That woman looks indignant and puts the man's hand back there (while we also see her cleavage). Lisa shows cleavage. We hear sexual sounds followed by heavy breathing and then a side view of Lisa and Matty lying side by side on a bed after sex. He's shirtless, while she has the covers over her chest. He says that she was amazing, she replies that it takes two, and he then adds sometimes three. Matty asks other baseball players how they know they're in love. One man states he knows he's in love with a woman when he wears condoms with the other girls. We see Matty shirtless in a jogging pool and then later in just a towel. Matty and Lisa briefly kiss. Before he heads off on the road for games, Lisa asks Matty if they're monogamous. He replies "essentially," with her asking what that means. He then says that if it bothers here, he'll try to cut down on the anonymous sex, with her repeating that term to him in question. Lisa shows cleavage in a strapless, low-cut dress. George and Lisa passionately kiss. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Annie is pregnant without knowing if the father will be in the picture (he finally is, at the end). About their company's new legal difficulties, Charles is demeaning to George (his adult son) and his leadership style at the company, and even says to him, "You are a f*cking moron." He also says that if it came down to it, he'd pick his company over his son, no matter how much that might hurt. George tells the story of his mom leaving him (at the age of 7) and his dad after watching "Kramer vs. Kramer" (and that unlike in the movie, his mom didn't return). Upset at his father's wrongdoings, George calls him a "damn narcissist" and an "ethical mutant." SPOILER ALERT: George is torn between taking the fall for his father and getting three years of prison, or allowing his dad to face his own consequences and 25 years in prison. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT George receives a subpoena from the U.S. Justice Dept. about him (meaning his company) being investigated for wire fraud (later amended to stock fraud). Moving in with someone of the opposite sex. Why Lisa keeps going back to Matty despite his womanizing ways. Annie being pregnant without knowing if the father will be in the picture (he finally is, at the end). Women's professional sports. Dealing with disappointments in life. Matty being comfortable in his womanizing ways. The advice to figure out what you want and learn how to ask for it. George tells the story of his mom leaving him (at the age of 7) and his dad after watching "Kramer vs. Kramer" (and that unlike in the movie, his mom didn't return). SPOILER ALERT: Charles admits that he bribed an Egyptian official for his company to do business there, and then allowed the blame (and subpoena) to fall on his son. The comment that everyone is one small adjustment away from making their lives work. VIOLENCE A boy pushes a younger girl (Lisa) to the ground after he fails to hit a baseball off a t-ball stand, but she manages to hit it after he gives up. A softball hits Lisa in the face while she's distracted by her ringing phone (she's okay). A very pregnant Annie nearly punches Charles when he's berating George (who catches her punch before Charles can turn to see it coming his way -- no contact is made). While intoxicated, George tumbles down his steps (played lightly, and he's okay). Lisa playfully punches Matty's shoulder/arm. Frustrated, George bends over and purposefully slams his head onto a table (once). Matty tells Lisa he broke a lamp (in anger/frustration) and we then see it hanging from the ceiling, broken. Reviewed December 13, 2010 / Posted December 17, 2010

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