Ruby Sparks is a not your typical boy-meets-girl romantic movie. It's got heart and maturity and will teach guys a thing or two about women.
So we had the rare opportunity of watching this in advance and I must say the film was really nice. Pam couldn't help but go on and on about this movie even through the throngs in the MRT on our way back.
The story centers around writer Calvin (Paul Dano) who writes a book about a woman named Ruby. Hilarity and romance ensues when Calvin suddenly finds Ruby alive and living with him in his apartment.
Ruby is played by Zoe Kazan who also did the writing for the film. She's perky and bubbly and is adorable. I tell you she's an absolute darling onscreen. Her real life boyfriend Dano isn't hard to look at all. He gets the role of geeky/nerdy writer Calvin with much gusto and he can do more.
How can I best describe the film "Ruby Sparks"? Simply put its a modern retelling of the classic tale of Pygmalion and Galatea with modern sensibilities which guys can learn a thing or two.
While the premise is quite fantastical in nature, the movie doesn't bother to explain why it happened. Why would it when it's got a good hook for viewers seeing two different people fall madly in love and doing crazy things that people in love do. While some characters from the film try to rationalize how or why this happened, the events that these two people encounter makes us forget about it or at the very least brushes it aside.
I can't praise the acting of both Dano and Kazan here in this flick. It's like they were naturals for the film. It also pays that they really are seeing each other to make their acting believable. Even the moment when Cal realizes that Ruby is officially over him and breaks down felt so sad.
Zoe Kazan was simply adorable in all acts of the film. I can remember this one scene where she gets all clingy on Dano's Cal and she cried. I was like "there, there baby don't cry. I'm sorry baby won't happen again." Ha! Believe me if you're a guy then you'll probably do that when you see that scene I'm referring to.
Another thing that I loved about this movie is the fact that it teaches some valuable lessons to guys out there. It's the lesson that women are very complex creatures. One minute its all about hearts and flowers and cotton candies and kisses and the next they're throwing plates or locking you out. To be able to really love a woman you need to see her for her entirety. (Yes now I'm giving free love advice because of this review). Being in a real relationship needs a lot of work from both parties. If you go into a relationship where you only stick to a notion or an idea then you're looking for heartbreak and misery down the road.
The musical scoring and the whole cinematography for this film was also top-notch. If it's sunny, you get this sunny vibe thanks to the camera that was used. Pretty impressive stuff. The use of visuals and scenery was also important. A good example for this was when the couple went all the way to Big Sur to visit Calvin's parents. They stop by the beach and have fun. It's easy on the eyes.
So while I'm hard selling all the good stuff (all the bubblegum and sweet stuff rather) about Ruby Sparks it does have certain scenes where it was heavy drama. But the biggest dramatic scene I have to warn you about comes towards the end of the movie. It wasn't really about making you cry but the way the movie played out made you love both characters so when it's parting time you really feel down.
There's a certain vibe in that scene that was powerful enough to be on par with the climatic ballet performances of old. The swaying, the smashing movements all showed anger, confusion, and heart break. Much props to both the actors as well as the directors of the film (who also did "Little Miss Sunshine" mind you).
Speaking of Little Miss Sunshine, I could've sworn there was a reference somewhere in the film related to Rick James [who sang Superfreak] which was delivered by Dano (who was also in Little Miss Sunshine)....Or maybe I was just hallucinating.
Also there's really something about this movie that made me want to re-watch 500 Days of Summer. Maybe it's because Zoe Kazan reminded me too much of Zoey Deschanel's character Summer or that Paul Dano's Calvin has some similarities with Joseph Gordon Levitt's Tom only the latter more nerdy looking and more fucked up.
This movie now has a very good place in my heart for being able to portray writers. There's one particular line in the film that made me want to shout "HELL YEAH!". It was around the time Calvin was pouring his heart out about a writer and his/ her inspiration. The line said something like "a writer doesn't just put words in paper, a writer lets the words flow through. In the darkness of the theater I muttered "damn straight" after hearing that line. Proof that this movie has good writing in it.
VERDICT: I highly recommend this movie if you want to see a great movie. Lots of great "kilig" moments and some drama. A light movie that teaches the difference between love and inspiration; as well as teach guys how to treat ladies.
10/10
Special thanks to 20th Century Fox. RUBY SPARKS OPENS SEPTEMBER 19, 2012~
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