Ruby Sparks
Go! An intriguing romcom that sparks, without exploding.
Writer drafts his ideal woman.
Ruby Sparks is an unapologetically fictional story. A writer, 29 and troubled in love, has a dream about a girl. He writes about that girl and SHAZAM! The girl miraculously comes to life. From then on, anything he writes about the girl comes true. With that foundation, this film could frankly have been terrible, but directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (the husband and wife pair that gifted us the slightly overrated but eminently watchable Little Miss Sunshine), it promised to be quirky, if nothing else.
The writer, Calvin, is played by Paul Dano - a man who still looks like a weedy teenager and seems destined to play insecure, whiny, long-limbed-characters for the foreseeable future. It is a slot he comfortably slips himself into - he quietly glowed as an intelligent, nihilistic teen in Little Miss Sunshine and brings more than a degree of that character into Ruby Sparks. Alongside him, Antonio Banderas (Puss In Boots) and Annette Benning (The Kids Are Alright) sprinkle their illustrious talents on the movie from time-to-time, and Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) plays... well Steve Coogan. Pulling the strings is Ruby, who just so happens to be played by the scriptwriter herself, Zoe Kazan. She's a feisty redhead with the difficult task of embodying a perfectly drafted woman whose mood can change dramatically with the click of a typewriter. Has she got enough charisma for such a challenging role? Very nearly, but perhaps not quite. Nevertheless, if you're going to play a character that is written as if coming straight from someone's imagination, it certainly helps when that imagination just so happens to have been your own.
The writer, Calvin, is played by Paul Dano - a man who still looks like a weedy teenager and seems destined to play insecure, whiny, long-limbed-characters for the foreseeable future. It is a slot he comfortably slips himself into - he quietly glowed as an intelligent, nihilistic teen in Little Miss Sunshine and brings more than a degree of that character into Ruby Sparks. Alongside him, Antonio Banderas (Puss In Boots) and Annette Benning (The Kids Are Alright) sprinkle their illustrious talents on the movie from time-to-time, and Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder) plays... well Steve Coogan. Pulling the strings is Ruby, who just so happens to be played by the scriptwriter herself, Zoe Kazan. She's a feisty redhead with the difficult task of embodying a perfectly drafted woman whose mood can change dramatically with the click of a typewriter. Has she got enough charisma for such a challenging role? Very nearly, but perhaps not quite. Nevertheless, if you're going to play a character that is written as if coming straight from someone's imagination, it certainly helps when that imagination just so happens to have been your own.
So the acting is solid, but in a film like this, it's all about the story - no amount of good acting can drag a tale this tall out of the stinkpit. Fortunately while it initially threatens to be engulfed by fluffy predictability, it soon begins to click, crackle (and spark...?) and instead becomes rather dark and profound. Why? Well, imagine you could create the perfect partner and then change even the smallest irritating characteristic, simply by writing it down. Things would get morally dangerous. You know you would at least consider abusing your power, because deep down you're a bad person.
Ruby Sparks embraces the dangers that such a power would present, and you will soon forget about the extent of the fiction and become very absorbed in what is an amusing and mature critique of our sexual relationships. It strips back layers of human interaction and forces us to trawl through your own deep sea of past and present loves; making you question what you have done, do do, and especially what you would be likely to do in the future if your perfect partner leapt out of your dreams. Is that even what you want? Is it!? IS IT?!!?
Ruby Sparks embraces the dangers that such a power would present, and you will soon forget about the extent of the fiction and become very absorbed in what is an amusing and mature critique of our sexual relationships. It strips back layers of human interaction and forces us to trawl through your own deep sea of past and present loves; making you question what you have done, do do, and especially what you would be likely to do in the future if your perfect partner leapt out of your dreams. Is that even what you want? Is it!? IS IT?!!?
Ultimately, the film is a romantic embrace of the pursuit of love, with more than a whiff of Woody Allen wafting over it. Whether you have been in love, are in love or wish you were in love, the bases are covered by this neat, artful and curious nugget. It might lack a bit of the fire that would make it spectacular, but if films are supposed to make you feel something or inspire you to do something, Ruby Sparks is capable of both.
Go. Be lightly ignited.
Go. Be lightly ignited.
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