Review of Ruby Sparks (2012) by Bart G — 01 Jul 2013

I didn't know much about Ruby Sparks prior to going in, but I had heard from some friends that it was good. Not to mention it has Paul Dano in it and I really like him. Ruby Sparks not only was very good but it was a very neat story.

The above summary is pretty much the movie. Dano plays a young writer who had early success and has fallen into a depressive writer's block until he has a dream about a mysterious woman. He begins to write a story about his relationship with the woman. She suddenly comes to life and only knows what Calvin has written in his story.

I thought the acting was great, especially Dano. His chemistry with Zoe Kazan was really a joy. They were a believable couple. Dano played the struggling writer very well. You feel sorry for him and really want him to succeed. You also feel for him when Ruby comes to life and he is trying to convince himself that she is a figment of his imagination. I also really liked the supporting characters played by Chris Messina, Elliott Gould, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas. They were both quirky and funny.

I think the best part is when Calvin begins to try and change Ruby to his liking. At first she got unhappy so he changed his story to say she couldn't live without him. Then she got too clingy so he changed it again to say she was joyful all the time. Then he got annoyed with that so he changed her again. He just kept changing until he broke down and realized Ruby couldn't be perfected. You either love the girl or you let her go free and wait for the right one to come back and love you for who you are. It was great.

I strongly recommend Ruby Sparks. It is one of the best movies I have watched in a while.