Review of Ruby Sparks (2012) by Liz M — 01 Dec 2012

It's kind of a shame that this movie has been overshadowed by the Moonrise Kingdoms of the world, because this film is truly a lovely little film. It's a film that is carried by its script, its strong themes, and an excellent cast.

It's a movie that has some surprising depth about the nature of loneliness and how that affects Calvin's relationship with his own creation. It's a much more complex film than you'd originally think because it does ask some very interesting questions about, again, loneliness and how satisfying it would be to have a relationship with someone where you can control their every action.

It's a film that explores these themes but it is never overbearing in any way, you're left to make your own conclusions about Calvin and his situation. And it's refreshing to see a romantic comedy where the main character can be a complete asshole when he wants to be, as evidenced by the climactic scene, where he's a complete dick in how he humiliates and embarrasses Ruby just to prove a point.

It's refreshing because it makes the character feel more human and his actions become more believable as a result, even if the film has a magical touch about it. The script is incredibly well-written, Zoe Kazan wrote both a great romantic comedy and a great character study on top of that.

The script is intelligent, funny, sweet, and sad all at the same time. And she also does a great job at playing Ruby, because she can be very charming and endearing, but she can also be vulnerable and sad when she needs to be.

Paul Dano is also great in this film because, again, he feels like a real person. Or at least you understand the reasoning for his actions in the film. And again he's not a perfect man and his characterization reflects that.

I also really liked the ending. It's kind of one of those cutesy endings that you see in a lot of these films but I think it was also effective and sweet because it does mean, as cheesy as it sounds, that Calvin will finally find somebody that loves him for how he is and not because he can write her to love him.

So yea I really loved this film, it's an intelligent romantic comedy with a lot of insight and a lot of interestingly complex questions. I'd highly recommend this flick, it is an underrated gem.