Is there really such a thing as a perfect relationship? Does your dream girl/guy actually exists? The quirky romantic-comedy-fantasy Ruby Sparks tackles the twisted and flawed idea of wanting that "perfect" partner.
Calvin (Paul Dano; There Will Be Blood) is a genius celebrity novelist suffering from a terrible writer's block, unable to come up with a follow-up to his masterpiece—
the greatest contemporary American novel of all time—that he has written ten years ago at the age of 19. Like most geniuses, Calvin is lonely and a bit messed up. And like most celebrities, he questions people's affections for him ("They like me for my work, and not me.") And like everybody else, he just wants to be loved. Basically, Calvin lives a depressing life, with only his brother (Chris Messina) as his friend (not even a "valid friend," according to his psychotherapist), and his dog Scotty as his sole companion in his depressingly neat, monochromatic, and sterile apartment (I myself would suffer from writer's block and insanity if I were living in that place).
Calvin's writer's paralysis finally ends when he starts dreaming about a ruby haired woman, becomes inspired, and begins writing a novel about her, his ideal girl. He names her Ruby Sparks. And he falls in love with her, his creation. One morning, Calvin is astounded to wake up to find Ruby Sparks in his kitchen, fully realized and very much real. With the perfect girl in his arms, Calvin's loneliness also ends. Or does it really?
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| Paul Dano now typecast as a writer? He also starred as a writer in Being Flynn (2012) with De Niro. |
Screenplay written by 29-year-old Zoe Kazan, who also plays the titular Ruby Sparks, and from the directors of Little Miss Sunshine (husband-and-wife Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris), the movie is not your usual romantic comedy. The movie has its light comedic moments but the entire film has dark and unsettling undertones in it. In the drab and dreary, melancholic canvas of the film, the Ruby Sparks character, in her vibrantly colored costumes and quirky face, is the shiny object, the only sight of color and "life," even though she's not even "real." This does not make you happy for Calvin, but only leaves you with a sense of dread and a general sense of unpleasantness and creepiness. Both Dano and Kazan (real-life couple) deliver effective performances that draws you right into their world, sucking you along in their roller-coaster of emotions. The movie begins with light comedy, but then gradually escalates into a disturbing climax, then finishes with an audience-pleasing ending—albeit still with a twist of creepiness.
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| Zoe Kazan wrote the screenplay, then plays the Ruby Sparks character. |
Ruby Sparks, with a cameo from Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas, is both fantasy and real, light and heavy, depressing and sporadically funny. It's essentially an intriguing and thought-provoking fantasy film that reveals the honest truth about self-centeredness,
2.5 out of 5 stars
In Philippine Cinemas September 19, 2012
In Philippine Cinemas September 19, 2012
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