I Don't Know How She Does It

It's futile to complain that I Don't Know How She Does It is essentially a feature length sitcom. It knows it is, and revels in it. From the stock character types and situations, right down to the moments when the main character literally pauses the action around her, and breaks the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience - This movie exists in a cookie cutter romantic comedy universe. Would I have preferred a more honest approach? Of course. But, what's up on the screen isn't all bad, thanks to some likable performances and some nice moments throughout.

Sarah Jessica Parker is Kate Reddy, an overworked Boston financial analyst, wife to her faithful husband Richard (Greg Kinnear), and hurried mother to two young children - One who is six, and old enough to be sad that her mom has to go away for work so much, the other who is two, and is to young to complain. Kate is a "supermom" at home, doing her best to organize everything and keep her family running smoothly. (Instead of sleeping at night, she lies awake in bed, and composes a list in her head of things she has to do.) But, it's getting harder for her to balance her home life and her career when her boss (Kelsey Grammer) is constantly sending her away on business trips. It's about to get even harder now that one of her original projects has caught the attention of Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan), a New York power player who could bring about big things in Kate's career, but it would also mean a lot more time away from home.

This being a fluffy comedy, we get the expected contrivances and bizarre situations. Right before her first big meeting with Jack, Kate gets a text that her daughter has lice, and that Kate just might have them too. (No wonder she's been scratching her hair so much lately.) Just how fluffy is this movie? One of the big plot points revolves around whether or not Kate will be able to keep her promise to her daughter about them building a snowman together the next time it snows outside. This works about as well for the movie's favor as you would think, which is not very. And yet, I can't deny, parts of the movie worked for me. I especially liked Kate's personal assistant, Momo (Olivia Munn), who vows never to get married and have children, and throws herself entirely into her work to prevent either from happening. Her character is not only funny, but she gets a couple sweet moments near the end.

I also liked the Jack Abelhammer character, who as played by Brosnan, is quite charming and likable. His character is also handled quite well. When we learn that he's a widower, and when the movie starts throwing suggestions that he is starting to like Kate during his time working with her on the project, I sunk in my seat, certain that he was going to go through a sudden change and become a villain, determined to break up Kate's family. Thankfully, the movie is smart enough in this department to keep him honest. Yes, he does have very strong feelings for Kate, and yes, he does admit them to her. But, she doesn't give it a second thought - her heart is with her husband. What's more, he understands, and does not pressure her. Sure, the ending the character does have is a bit too pat and perfect, but at least the movie doesn't suddenly make him a jerk for the sole purpose that the screenwriter thought the film needed a villain.

Even Parker gets some nice moments in the lead role. She's a lot sweeter and more sympathetic than she's allowed herself to be in the recent Sex and the City films. She also has some good chemistry with Kinnear, and especially with Brosnan. This is a strange movie. It would just be going along, not really impressing me all that much, and then something would stand out, only for the movie to go back to its regular routine. There aren't enough stand out moments for me to recommend the film fully, but I'd be lying if I didn't say the movie won me over from time to time. No, it's not as smart or as funny as Crazy, Stupid Love. But, as far as fluff women-centric comedies go, this one's not bad.

I imagine that most people will find I Don't Know How She Does It comforting. It's non-threatening, it's kind of sweet, and it does absolutely nothing to challenge the viewer. Sometimes that's a good thing. For what it is, the movie works enough for me to say this isn't a movie I would go out of my way to see, but I'm glad I did anyway.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

0 comments