nickmesafilms Review of Ruby Sparks

Ruby Sparks (2012)

Ruby Sparks (2012) - She's Out of His Mind! Literally!

[9/10 · 8 November 2012]

This year has been a great year for small-budget underrated independent films, and "Ruby Sparks" definitely takes the cake. This is one of the most overlooked, and one of the best movies of the year. The movie stars Paul Dano as Calvin, a struggling young writer who tries to make a breakthrough by making a new novel, after failing with his recent romantic life. He ends up creating a character named Ruby Sparks, the type of girl that Calvin wants to be with. Then, on the next day, he is surprised to find out that Ruby Sparks has come to life, living in his house, in the flesh of a real, breathing person. Oh, and here's a fun little twist. SPOILER ALERT! Not only is Ruby real, but whenever Calvin will type something about Ruby in his typewriter, she immediately ends up doing what she's told from the words of the typewriter, without noticing it. So, the movie then follows as a romantic drama between an author and his creation. "Ruby Sparks" is a film that never loses it's heat from the opening scene to the end credits. With the exception of a few corny and over-the-top moments, it's a few flaws that can't ruin the film. On the positive side, "Ruby Sparks" follows the three methods in making a great movie: premise, acting, and writing. Boy, this movie follows these three methods well. Paul Dano delivers the best performance I've seen from him, delivering such a likable and realistic performance that I'm sure some people can relate to. Zoe Kazan, the film's co-writer, although sharing terrific chemistry with Dano, also delivers fine work playing the title character of Ruby Sparks. Elliott Gould, Chris Messina, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, and Steve Coogan round out the supporting cast, all delivering fine work as well. This script deserves to be given a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination for plenty of reasons that should be written on paper. The dialouge is witty, charming, and clever, and the story really flows well for the 103-minute running time. The soundtrack is perfect for the tone of the film, the directing is nice, and when it tries to be funny, it can be very funny. But, things can also get very intense, especially until the final act, where all situations are put in unexpected dramatic measures. "Ruby Sparks" is one of the year's most memorable films, with top-notch performances, well-written story, perfect pace, and great premise. We need more movies like "Ruby Sparks", instead of Hollywood repeating itself, releasing plenty of the same line of generic romantic comedies, and obnoxious action flicks. Finally, we have a film that can be funny when it tries to be, well-acted when it wants to be, and a story well-paced when it chooses to be. "Ruby Sparks" is one of the year's best films. "Ruby Sparks", in my review, "clever and unique, undeniably entertaining".