Tonight I had the pleasure to see Ruby Sparks almost a month before its release date. Even more exciting, the film's two leads, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan, were in attendance to participate in a Q&A after the screening. They were both gracious and intelligent with their answers. Not to mention they are dating in real life, which upped the adorable factor to the umpteenth degree. My crush on Paul Dano aside, these two have a lot of chemistry together on and off screen. All in all, I really loved the movie. Certainly not flawless, but that's partly what Ruby Sparks is about; is anything or more importantly, anyone truly flawless?
Ruby Sparks is about a young, awkward writer, Calvin, with only three friends: his brother, his shrink, and his dog. After the success of his first novel, Calvin is struggling with writer's block until he begins writing about a girl named Ruby Sparks. Unbelievably enough, Ruby materializes in Calvin's apartment and their relationship grows into something too real for fiction.
With such an outlandish plot, Ruby Sparks could have turned into many different films, and by different, I mean terrible. I am extremely relieved that the movie didn't take any of those wrong turns. I should note that not only did Kazan star in the film, she also wrote and produced it. This girl is a force to be reckoned with. I am blown away by her ear for dialogue, attention to detail, and self-reflexiveness. The script was strong throughout - funny when it needed to be, emotional when it needed to be, and above all else, every word that was spoken sounded truthful.
Every part of Ruby Sparks has layers upon layers of meaning. It is about being happy with yourself before you can be happy with another person. It is about not trying to change who people are, and even if you could, would it be worth it? While all of these themes run through the entire film, I never felt like it was tackling too much. In essence, the problems weren't forced. Calvin and Ruby simply experienced a lot of ups and downs, and I tackled the big questions right along with them. That is what I like about this film - it does tackle a lot of the big questions. The conflicts are real conflicts, ones that we all try to come to terms with at some point or another.
Speaking of Calvin and Ruby, Dano and Kazan are both fantastic. I think Dano will have a long and successful career, probably becoming one of the great actors of his generation. He brings so much likeability to Calvin, a character who is extremely flawed, to say the least. Dano embraces the flaws, and breathes life into them. As for Kazan, she is fresh air personified. As Ruby, she is as bubbly as can be, without overdoing it. She's quirky, but in a charming way. Both of these performances, along with their electric chemistry, help to make Ruby Sparks as enjoyable as it truly is.
With the casting and writing primarily taken care of, directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris agreed to take on the project. Known for directing the little-indie-that-could, Little Miss Sunshine, this directorial team was the perfect choice. They brought just enough cutesy, a lot of heart, and a knack for good storytelling. Ruby Sparks is an example of what happens when the right people collaborate on the right film at the right time. Everything just falls into place to create movie magic.
Ruby Sparks is a movie that will have you smiling from start to finish. It is a piece of fantasy, lined with a true dose of reality - a dichotomy that is seamlessly balanced. Maybe this isn't a film for the bitter and jaded, but
I predict that it will melt at least a few icy hearts upon release.
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