Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
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.
How Do You Know is a well-cast but narratively muddled romantic comedy-drama that squanders its talented ensemble. The love triangle premise feels undercooked and the tonal balance between comedy and drama is awkward. Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, and Jack Nicholson bring professional polish but the script gives them little to work with. Visually it is unremarkable studio work, and the ending resolves predictably without much earned emotional payoff. The film has a distinctive pedigree (James L. Brooks directing) but ultimately feels like a misfire from a usually reliable filmmaker, resulting in something formulaic despite its promising cast.