HOW DO YOU KNOW

Written and Directed by James L. Brooks

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson

Psychiatrist: Figure out what you want and how to ask for it.

Lisa: Those are both really hard.

Silly me. I assumed that HOW DO YOU KNOW, the new film by Academy Award winning director, James L. Brooks, was asking an age old question about how you know when you’re actually in love. I did not realize that what it could also be asking is how do you know when you’re watching a bad movie. For me, I knew when I was about half way through this muddled mess of a romantic comedy and still had no idea what the story actually was. Everything looked so pretty that I hadn't noticed that Brooks had yet to make any effort to answer the question himself.

Reese Witherspoon returns to the big screen for the first time in two years in what certainly must have looked like a good project on paper. Everyone wants to know how you know you’re in love, including her character, Lisa, an Olympic softball player whose career has just stalled and whose interest in finding love seems to have stalled long before that. She is going through the motions with her casual boyfriend, Matty (Owen Wilson) but the clueless twosome actually think they are breaking new relationship ground every time he makes some space for her in his sock drawer. Meanwhile, Paul Rudd’s George is going through a crisis of his own but he knows without a doubt that Lisa is the girl for him. Naturally, we know as well too so we just have to sit around and wait for Lisa to get on the same page as everyone else.

If George can figure the whole love thing out, it stands to reason that anyone can, but Lisa and Matty exist on this plain where apparently love is a convoluted concept, that is as hard to understand as Jack Nicholson’s decision to appear in this farce. Love needn’t be so complicated but at least one thing is clear in this film – Brooks doesn’t know how you know anymore than anyone else does.

YEAR ONE

Written by Harold Ramis, Gene Stupnitsky and Eisenberg
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring: Jack Black, Michael Cera, Oliver Platt, David Cross and Hank Azaria


Zed: I’m sorry; I wasn’t listening. All my brain blood was in my boner.

I can’t be certain whether YEAR ONE refers to the first year in history in which this Harold Ramis directed film takes place or if it refers to the year of film schooling that was finished by this staff behind the cameras on this film. YEAR ONE, in which Jack Black and Michael Cera wander from one biblical story to the next for no apparent reason other than that being what is written and therefore what is so, is occasionally amusing but only really because of how amateurish it all plays out. Logic was apparently not discovered in our first year here, as it makes no appearance in this film at any point. With Black and Cera leading the way though, the buffoonery with which every presence carries itself is enough to get us through the year. How humanity survived with these idiots in charge is beyond me though.


Zed (Black) is a hunter and Oh (Cera) is a gatherer. Zed isn’t any good at his job and Oh shouldn’t be any good at his job as that’s really woman’s work when you think about it long enough. Personally, I feel that both of these jobs should be genderless but this was the first year of history; women didn’t have Madonna or Oprah or Miley Cyrus to show them that they could do anything yet. Zed’s ignorant bumbling and lack of respect for authority get him booted out of the tribe and he goes Jerry Maguire on them, asking who will go with him to start a new tribe. You will never guess who goes with. OK, it’s Oh. Big shock. They never quite realize their dreams of a new utopia as they constantly just run into meddlesome biblical characters, from Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd) to Abraham and Isaac (Hank Azaria and Christopher Mintz-Plasse). They all look absolutely ridiculous with their long wigs and loincloths; it makes it hard to take any of it seriously but it is a comedy, I guess. Maybe if I had been laughing more, I would have been able to see that.

YEAR ONE feels unfinished at times. One moment, Oh is being strangled by a snake and then, cut. Oh is back at camp, safe and sound. There is not even a mention of how he evaded what seemed like certain death seconds earlier. He’s safe now and that’s what matters. Poor Oh though – before long he ends up in another perilous situation, this time involving a cougar. Just when you think he is going to be mauled to death, he is suddenly back at camp again. He’s got a few scratches though so at least we know something went down, but what? Did Ramis think that we wouldn’t care how he got out of these scenarios or was that part of the joke? It would fall in line with the film’s random and oblivious sense of humour though. This would be the same irrational approach that doesn’t explain how Oh manages that perfectly smooth shave when everyone else is scruffy or how a couple of the ladies managed to find tinted contact lenses back then. Did I mention that everyone talks as though they grew up watching television?


While sometimes funny, YEAR ONE is more uneven and odd above anything else. Black plays it cool and takes a strong lead but Cera, while still unavoidably adorable, is beginning to wear his awkwardness a little thin. They make for an amusing enough pair though and it is their combined charisma that gives us the strength to look away from the ludicrously excessive performances from the supporting players (with the exception of Oliver Platt – hilarious). If this really were as introductory as the first year of existence would have it be, I would be more inclined to be more forgiving but these are all seasoned players. This is not amateur night at the caveman improv after all; this is a major Hollywood production. Perhaps had Ramis drawn some parallels between then and now to show how little progress has actually been made in the many years since the first, it might have felt somewhat more purposeful. Instead, it will just be forgotten like history itself.

I Love You, Paul Rudd

I remember the first time I saw Paul Rudd on screen. It was 1995 and Rudd, named Josh long before everyone in film and television seemed to don that moniker, played a college boy who had come in to Los Angeles to help his former step father with a heavy legal load but ended up falling for his distant former step sister, Cher, played by then it-girl, Alicia Silverstone, instead. Not only did CLUELESS permanently ruin the language limits of a generation I must unfortunately count myself among but it gave us that face – that smooth, earnest face with the smile that tells you he’s not going nowhere. Rudd may not have taken over Hollywood there and then but his appeal is better appreciated over time. With his latest comedy, I LOVE YOU, MAN, getting the masses laughing up the brotherly love, it is clear that Rudd’s time has finally arrived.


Rudd, having first gained notoriety on the NBC hit, “Sisters”, followed up his CLUELESS breakout with a thankless part in Baz Luhrmann’s ROMEO+JULIET. His first lead role didn’t come until 1998’s THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION, opposite “Friends” star, Jennifer Aniston. Of course, with Aniston in the project, the media focus was on her to see how well she could carry a film outside of her safety “Friends” zone. The experiment was not a success but then again, I don’t think it was ever meant to be. In this Nicolas Hytner film, Rudd plays, George Hanson, a private school first grade teacher with a big heart that he allows to be trampled on again and again. Aniston plays Nina Borowski, a social worker with a walk-up in Brooklyn and a controlling boyfriend. After George’s boyfriend breaks up with him, he moves in with Nina and the two quickly learn the meaning of unconditional love – that is until they realize how unrealistic the whole thing is. THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION is surprisingly sensitive, progressive and ahead of its time. These characters explore new relationship possibilities without any judgment or embellishment. Instead, it is just a bunch of ordinary people looking for love. It remains to this day one of my favorite romantic weepers. In fact, I just teared watching it again on a bus, surrounded by strangers.


Given the gay subject matter, which incidentally, Rudd pulled off without the least bit of cliché, this was not the vehicle to get Rudd noticed. It did get him on Aniston’s mega hit series, “Friends” though, as Phoebe Buffet’s (Lisa Kudrow) fiancé in the last season. That in turn led to a number of sidekick roles that would come to define him for a while. Rudd fell in with some very funny people, from Will Ferrell (ANCHORMAN) to Judd Apatow (KNOCKED UP). Rudd’s perfect buddy role is exemplified in Apatow’s breakout, THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN. When Steve Carrell’s Andy freaks out after realizing the damage he has done to his life after admitting he is in fact forty years old and a bonafide virgin, it is Rudd’s David that chases him through a crowded shopping complex to sit him down and tell him that there is nothing wrong with him. When Andy can’t handle the pressure of being hooked up with countless girls with the sole purpose of losing his virginity, it is David that tells him that he doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to. Rudd exemplifies reliability and reassurance. You can count on him to not only help you out when you need it but to get you smiling as well.


Rudd stepped up his game last year by starring in and co-writing the moderately successful ROLE MODELS, co-starring Seann William Scott. This mostly conventional film features a fairly relatable premise. Here you have two 30-ish guys who don’t know thing one about kids who find themselves forced to mentor a couple of misfit kids. I am 30-ish guy and I wouldn’t know what to do with an infant. I would probably plop it down in front of the television, force it to watch Pixar films all day and throw food at it every once in a while to make sure it doesn’t start crying. Rudd’s kiddie problems aside, ROLE MODELS stepped up his visibility significantly and leads us to his final stepping stone, the leading man. Just like THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION, Rudd’s leading man in I LOVE YOU, MAN is no ordinary leading role. Sure, it follows to proper structure of a romantic comedy; Rudd meets girl, gets girl, loses girl and we must then wait to see if he gets said girl back. The major difference here is that the girl in question is actually a guy, Jason Segal, and this time Rudd isn’t playing gay. In I LOVE YOU, MAN, directed by John Hamburg, Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a guy so regular that he still has the package default ringtone on his iPhone. (And yes, I only know this because we share the same ring and I felt like my phone was going off the whole way through the film.) Peter has always had an easier time being friends with the ladies and now, as his wedding approaches, he embarks on a series of man dates in search of a best man. To watch the romantic comedy genre hilariously subverted not only allows for the glorification of male bonding but it also allows Rudd to discover new sides of himself that make us love him even more.


Today is April 6th and therefore, Paul Rudd turns 40 today. When interviewed, Rudd is adamant that he loves his life. He loves his wife, Julie Yeager, and their three-year-old son, Jack Rudd. He loves his life in New York City. He especially loves the direction his career has taken. He loves that he gets to do what he does and he gets to have his private life as well. It just seems to me that Paul Rudd is loving his life and the laughter that embodies it. You can see it right there, plainly on his smiling face and that, my friends, is why I love that man.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

Written by Jason Segel
Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Starring Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd & Bill Hader


The writer/star of FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, Jason Segel, is the kind of artist who isn’t afraid to let it all hang out there for everyone to see and subsequently appreciate or pick apart. He writes his pain on to the screen and isn’t afraid to get naked on the path to true understanding. In the writer’s world, naked is a fairly obvious metaphor for vulnerability but here it just means nude. And so, as Segal’s penis flaps back and forth against his painfully pale body, moments before Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) breaks up with him, the Judd Apatow movie machine unleashes its latest raw comedy from the mind of the modern male.

This particular male is Peter Bretter (Segel), a slob who can barely pick up after himself but somehow manages to maintain a serious relationship with a gorgeous actress girlfriend and holds down a job as a composer for schlock television. He’s not unattractive nor without his charms but he does raise the question as to how he ever managed to get himself this well positioned. He also has no trouble at all finding numerous beautiful women to help him take his mind off Sarah. And while forgetting Sarah Marshall proves much more complicated than Peter had hoped - it doesn’t help that they have found themselves both at the same Hawaiian resort – he can at least have the last laugh by vilifying her as a horrible human being before the credits role. Without giving too much away, he will have the option, as the sympathetic character, to walk away happy but Sarah, as the heartbreaker, has been doomed since Hester Prynne was sent to prison with that darn scarlet letter across her chest.


If I were Apatow, I would be a little tired of hearing my name being attached to all of these projects. If anything, he should make sure to have a firmer hand in the process in the future. FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is not without the hilarity and genuine character development that his past productions have captured so poignantly but its bizarre subplots and many rushed moments make it somewhat forgettable.

KNOCKED UP

Written and Directed by Judd Apatow


Pete: Isn’t it weird when you have a kid and all your dreams go out the window?

Judd Apatow is something of a contemporary creative hero. He is a man who works within a rigid system and delivers consistently hilarious fare that manages to remain oddly honest and revealing. The director of THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN returns this summer with KNOCKED UP, a comedy about dealing with the unexpected that lives up to all its expectations. After one night of drunken, messy sex, Alison and Ben (Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen) find themselves in a situation many have found themselves in before, pregnant. Alison is fresh from a promotion while Ben is busy doing nothing at all. Neither expected to see the other ever again, much less raise a child together. This is horrible timing for both of them but both must learn that nothing makes two people grow up faster than having a baby. And what do two grown-ups do when faced with a less than ideal scenario like this one? Why they give up on looking for love and force a relationship to form between each other for the sake of their child and in the interest of being responsible human beings. The idea that they could actually be successful is hilarious enough in itself.

Apatow sets us up from the start. We meet Ben in the middle of a stoned back yard boxing match of enormous proportions. Moments later, we meet Alison waking to her alarm so that she can prepare for her responsible day as a functional member of society. They meet each other in a bar later that day. Alison is there to celebrate her promotion and Ben is there to drink. Alison is young and vibrant; Ben is a pudgy stoner. He is not without charm but social hierarchies would keep him way out of her league. And so KNOCKED UP begins its journey into the male fantasy. In this fantasy, a male nobody can get with a female somebody with absolutely no explanation that would give it any sort of rational sense. Without it though, there would be no premise to develop. Further to this, Alison decides that she and Ben should do their best to be together. This successful woman who already has a supportive family that could help her through her pregnancy and raise the child suddenly sees no chance of finding her own happiness and learns to settle.


Are you laughing yet? C’mon, this is funny stuff. The funniest thing about KNOCKED UP is that it actually is funny. Heigl and Rogen both turn in fantastic performances that will certainly leave audiences wanting even more of them. They are also surrounded by a number of supporting players who may be one-sided but make the most of their limited depth. On Alison’s side, Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd play Alison’s sister and her husband. They too found themselves unexpectedly pregnant when they were younger and decided to take a shot at happiness together. Only, all these years later, he makes excuses to be out of the house to clear his head and she doesn’t trust that he’s being faithful. On Ben’s side, he’s got a pack of stoner buddies (Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill and Martin Starr) who help him keep it real. They also stop him from becoming the man he needs to be if he’s going to be a good father. Where Apatow’s talent steps in is in making all of this symbolism apparent without being the least bit obvious or overwrought. The entire cast is clearly having a blast with their characters and with each other, making it impossible not to laugh along with them. There are also more pop culture references than you can shake a “Gilmore Girls” series finale at.


Despite all their chemistry though, Heigl and Rogen never fully convince me that they have actually fallen in love. Sure they each learn a thing or two about themselves and how to be better to each other but in the end, Apatow does more damage than good. One walks away from KNOCKED UP thinking that a baby can bring people together or save a relationship. One also walks away thinking that to grow up means to leave your dreams and frivolity behind you, to settle in to a potential life of boredom and disappointment. Finally, and fortunately for all involved, one also walks away from KNOCKED UP laughing one’s ass off and not caring one bit about convention and the dangers that stem from it.