I Don’t Know How She Does It
“I Don’t Know How She Does It” has the character setup of “He’s Just Not That Into You”, the reminiscent feeling of “Sex and the City” (the later years) and a touch of “The Devil Wears Prada” all wrapped up into one movie. If you were not a fan of any of these movies, then you will definitely not like this film. But, any savvy moviegoer should guess that from the previews.
The comedy follows Kate (Sarah Jessica Parker) who is juggling her responsibilities as a workaholic mom devoted to her two children and adoring of her husband, Richard (Greg Kinnear) as she tries to keep moving to the top in her career. The sweetness exuding from Parker and Kinnear sometimes makes you torn between wanting to wrap them up into a group bear hug or hate them for being so perfectly able to work things out time after time. However, sweetness wins out.
The supporting cast makes the film fun and keeps it moving by inserting snarky humor in to create a balance of comedy in the film. Christina Hendricks is Kate’s sidekick single mom buddy and “Saturday Night Live’s” Seth Meyers plays Kate’s work nemesis who actually is less an evil plotting presence and more there for a Weekend Update joke or two. But it’s big screen newcomer, Olivia Munn who steals the spotlight as Kate’s associate, Momo. She echoes Emily Blunt’s comedic performance in “The Devil Wears Prada” as the down-to-business straight shooter who barely cracks a smile but she is on point with her deadpan descriptions of the “perfectness” of Kate’s life.
A few watered-down subplots appear but are endearing enough to enjoy rather than annoy the audience. Pierce Brosnan steps in as Kate’s colleague who can come across as stuffy and stiff but is actually very charming and likable and by the end of the short movie which is a tad over a running ninety minutes, it feels like an extended episode of a favorite sitcom. The movie (and this genre in general) is not meant to mean more than what it is. No profound messages or twisted plots. It is simply lighthearted, enjoyable entertainment at the movie theatre. That’s what fans should expect from this movie and that’s what they should be happy walking away with at the end.
