Friday, December 21, 2012

Movie Review: Ruby Sparks

From directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton comes Ruby Sparks! If those names don't sound familiar, maybe you have heard of their previous film, also starring Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine. This film is also the debut screenplay for co-star Zoe Kazan.

 A young writer who's best pages seem to be long past embarks on a writing assignment from his therapist. This story soon takes on a life of it's own, literally!

The movie wastes no time introducing Ruby and quickly turns into an adorable little romance. It's quite enjoyable to see their relationship blossom, but our lead, Calvin, soon pushes her away with his socially awkward and controlling nature.

Without giving up anything too substantial of the plot, Calvin soon learns that writing your dream girl is not as easy as he thinks. Tampering with the details can have a substantial butterfly effect on a person.

Calvin is a good example of a man who falls in love with the idea of a woman rather than the person they really are. Honestly, by the end of the story I had a hard time liking the person he became. However, the movie itself was still quite enjoyable and does make an attempt to redeem his character.

If you're a fan of Indie comedy romances, this film is still worth worth checking out. But going in, know that this is not a comedy. By the end, this romance drama-evolves into a full fledged drama-drama. What starts as the story of two characters evolves into a story of two people, flaws and all.

I found the film refreshing, and would gladly recommend it to others to check out. However, I've always been a fan of stories that don't just aim to give you the warm and fuzzies. At some points in the film I was disturbed by what I saw on the screen. Credit goes to the directors and the cast for delivering an honest love story rather than more of the same that Hollywood often over floods the screen with.

Final Verdict: There's a place on my movie shelf for this little gem. The beauty of a person is in the flaws, as is the case with this film. It's far from perfect, but it's darn good.

Thanks,
Roger Bellini

No comments:

Post a Comment