I Don't Know How She Does It-Movie Review

I sent my lovely friend and Cherry Blossoms {The Blog} movie reviewer, Melissa Branin Wheeler to see an advance screening of The Weinstein Company's I Don't Know How She Does It. Read on to learn what Melissa thought of the movie which opens today nationwide....

Reader be warned: This reviewer has little patience for “chick flicks” and has never seen more than 40 seconds of “Sex and the City”. Now that we know each other a little better, on to the review…

I Don’t Know How She Does It, is a “portrait of modern parenthood”. Sarah Jessica Parker (Kate Redding) is an up-and-coming middle manager in a busy investment firm in Boston, who, amidst successes in her career, is struggling to find sustainable balance in her life of heavy responsibility; she has a home, husband, career, and two children to take care of. Richard (the beautiful and charming Greg Kinnear) works hard, despite the troubled economy, to put bread on the table, and lovingly and without coercion tag-teams with his busy wife to accomplish all the day’s tasks. But how does one balance all of their important obligations? How does a modern career woman reconcile her conflicting commitments and the accompanying guilt?


Adapted from the novel by Allison Pearson and directed by Douglas McGrath (Emma, Infamous), this story is sweet, simple, and to the point. But, overall, quite dull. Voice-over monologues accompany the entire film, while a handful of side characters occasionally quip in to give their opinions on Kate’s life and behavior, providing the audience with a wider range of experiences and perspectives by which to judge (and sympathize with) our lovable ingénue. My favorites were “The Momsters”, seemingly perfect moms who are beautifully dressed, fit, confident, and bring the best treats to the bake sale. Also, Kate’s assistant Momo (Olivia Munn) offers a unique view on Kate’s life, often condescending to her “disgusting mom-ness”, and trying to help her hold things together at work (while giving a Justin Beiber reference that was the highlight of the film for me).

Having never read the original novel, I can’t tell if the shallow and often arbitrary writing in the film is the fault of the author or the screenwriters. The film attempts to tell the story of modern parenthood in a sensitive, yet comedic light, often highlighting life’s inevitable absurdities. It is a story that many mothers and fathers will whole-heartedly relate to. However, I was fairly bored throughout the film, waiting for something, anything, to happen that would hold my interest. Pierce Brosnan’s character, Jack Ablehammer, was supposed to introduce a plot twist, but no twisting ensued. The arch of the film was like that of a gently thrown paper airplane.

Sarah Jessica Parker was typecast for her likeability, cuteness, and occasional clumsiness, making her a very charming and sympathetic lead. The film was well acted and well cast. The entire film is full of stock characters, and the plot is incredibly predictable. Personally, I go to the movies to get away from my real life, not to see it recast with better looking actors. If you really want to see this film go for it, but I personally recommend getting it at the Redbox.

Melissa Branin Wheeler is an art curator and musician from Northern Virginia, who, between planning art exhibits, painting portraits of rock stars, and hosting her own podcast, occassionally reviews movies for Cherry Blossoms. Find her at www.originalvagabonds.com and www.melissabranin.com.