Ruby Sparks

In "Ruby Sparks" (104 min.), Calvin (played by Paul Dano) plays a writer who found great acclaim as a late teenager but now 10 years later is lonely and struggling with writer's block. In his dreams he meets the perfect girl whom he calls Ruby (played by Zoe Kazan), he starts writing about it, and then one morning Calvim wakes up only to find Ruby in his kitchen, fixing breakfast. It's a miracle, right? Is it the magic in the typewriter (Calvin types "Ruby speaks French" and a moment later she speaks French)? No explanation is given. However now that Ruby is alive and well, she does not always act EXACTLY like Calvin wants her to, and the temptation to run to the typewriter and fix every signle problem is great, but what would that do to their relationship in the long run? To give away more of the plot would ruin your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Several comments: the movie is intended as a romcom, and there are indeed many fine moments that made me smile. But the movie also examines some profounder issues that go to the very nature of the human race: free will (with the potential for making mistakes or worse) or no free will (at which point, what is the real value of the relationship you control?). Even though she's been in many other movies in her young career, in my opinion Zoe Kazan is THE break-out star of the movie, as not only did she write the movie's screenplay but her performance on the screen just oozes charm. Not that he doesn't do a good job, but I can't really say the same about Paul Dano (Kazan and Dano are also a couple in real life). And there are some real choice moments for Antonio Banderas and Annette Benning as Calvin's parents. Check out also Elliott Gould as Calvin's shrink.

In all, I really enjoyed this "little" movie quite a bit, and for me it proved to be perfect "counter-programming" in this never-ending summer of bigger (but not necessarily better) blockbuster movies. "Your Sister's Sister" and "Safety Not Guaranteed" were other such "little" movies I really enjoyed this summer. Meanwhile, "Ruby Sparks" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Speaking as somebody who writes short stories as a hobby in addition to film reviews; "Ruby Sparks" is pretty spectacular. Just the idea of one of your stories becoming a reality is basically every author's dream. Unless you're a horror writer, then you might hope it never leaves the page. Thinking about that somehow happening is inspiring in itself though. If that was a guideline, to only write stories you think deserve to exist in the real world, then we'd have a very different literary back catalog.

Paul Dano brings yet another extremely relatable character to the screen. His ongoing struggle to come up with a good story really hits home hard as does his issues with women. Falling in love with your own creation seems a lot more reasonable than attempting to swim in the dating world. Dano's performance is gut-wrenching at times because you know where at least part of this story is going and it's not going to end well; an emotional breakdown is inevitable. Dano is also just as engrossing as ever while making simple emotions of depression, inspiration, love, and heartache seem like a grand spectacle.

Zoe Kazan is really superb, as well. Attempting to be the embodiment of somebody's dream girl probably isn't the easiest job, but Kazan seems to do it with ease. Her performance is at its best when Calvin realizes that whatever he writes about Ruby on his typewriter comes to life. Those moments are when the humor of the film is at its peak and when the sadder moments punch you in your chest a little bit harder. It probably helps that Dano and Kazan are a couple off-screen, but their chemistry and an incredibly well-written screenplay are what make the film as strong as it is.

For most, "Ruby Sparks" will probably just seem like this slightly better than average romantic comedy and that's fair; no one will fault you for that. But if you are a writer, if you have ever written a story for fun, have done that more than once, and/or have ever been compensated for this written work then "Ruby Sparks" will speak to you the way that it should.

While it isn't nearly as good, "Ruby Sparks" does slightly resemble "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" at times. With excellent and engaging performances from Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, fantastic writing, and the ability to breathe a lot of life into a concept that may have been really absurd under different circumstances, "Ruby Sparks" is extraordinarily charming and should not be missed.

This movie is completely under the radar. It is tremendously enjoyable and has an endearing story line. I am not sure why it is not more generally known to be good.