Ruby Sparks (2012)
Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby, in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person.
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Good movie but grossly overrated
Fantastic!
Excellent, Without a doubt!!
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
RUBY SPARKS starts off with a killer premise: a useless schmuck of a writer, suffering from writers block and a breakup from her girlfriend, decided to write about a perfect, ditzy, happy-go-lucky girl spawned from his shallow, unsocial male gaze. But after one Twilight-Zone-Ray-Bradbury night, she ultimately comes to life from the pages and acts like just the perfect character booster for our titular hero. Now to anyone pulling out the Manic Pixie Dream Girl card (lord knows it's not unwarranted based on the first 30 minutes alone), the kicker is that she would grow and adapt as a real human being, blossoming with her own agency instead of acting for someone else.You'd think with a killer premise, they'd come up with some insightful ways this could play out. Maybe a statement of our modern relationship issues, or how women don't get proper credit in fictional literature, or how the world will process to someone like her. Considering the directing duo behind the surprisingly clever LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, anything is possible right? LOL NOOOPE! For all it's buildup, it sets up as a statement on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope only to then make up something even worse. For one thing, even if she did try to make up her own mind, the writer still has control over her by just typing on a keyboard. Yep, she's still basically influenced by man anyway, but it's all ironic right? I seem to get that impression anyway, because otherwise how the f#@k do you end like that with a straight face? After all the 90+ minutes of wasted potential, it decided to end on such an awkwardly staged and hilariously stupid climax ever. Without spoiling, this so-called set piece would be if like if someone threw around a voodoo doll and made it play the hokey pokey. Sure their last film ended with girl stripping to Super Freak on a little beauty pageant, but this is plain f@#ing stupid.And yet somehow it manages to be the one true novel thing about the entire damn movie. The rest of it just feels like a rote, first draft Woody Allen comedy. The characters are either despicable or one-note, the script sorely lacks, Paul Dano was obnoxious, Poor Zoe Kazan tries to liven up the scene with nothing to work with, the final 5 minutes feels like nothing was accomplished, and the whole thing was an overall chore. Only things going for it is Zoe Kazan again, the directors tight filmmaking and that howl of a climax.Much like STRANGER THAN FICTION, though, it goes all in with interesting Kaufman-esque scenarios but can't cash the check. But hey, at least unlike that it didn't LOOK like total pretentious sh!t.
This movie seemed like a funny, carefree comedy, yet went so much deeper as it moved on. A must watch, in my opinion as it pulled off everything so smoothly. The movie feels enough to take you to another dimension and then roller coast you to dark depths. The different emotions would keep your eyes glued to the screen. Now you may watch it, as my expert opinion allows it.
There are several problems with this film. The premise is far-fetched, but fine, I'll accept it. But Calvin's behavior is nonsensical. When he thought that Ruby was a figment of his imagination, he did not do anything to disprove it - record it, ask your neighbors if they see her, lift her so that she can change a light bulb, I don't know, think of something. Going out on a date and running into her by accident is so contrived.Then comes the most annoying part. We have a protagonist with a god-like power and he does not know what he wants. That's the worst part of the story, it's difficult to watch and it's completely annoying. He is that indecisive, dissatisfied - he's just a problem-seeker. This is a guy who goes to restaurants, doesn't pick an item from the menu but makes up a random dish with his own ingredients and instructions, has it delivered to perfection and yet he still complains. Such person does not deserve love nor attention.In short - this is a story of a guy so picky that his ideal woman is not good enough for him. He says he likes her the way she is, but he lies, he lies to himself and to others. People get bored, fine, but he gets bored with his own ideal partner and gets bored so quickly, yet he does this Ted Mosby "I'm just a lonely guy looking for true love" crap. We're supposed to feel for him.The ending is in poor taste. A forced happy ending. How does he plan on explaining to his family and friends that this is someone else? It's not the same girl, she just looks exactly like his ex-girlfriend. What he tell this new girl? The writers/director of this film didn't give a hoot, so why should we?
This film is a great riff on Pygmalion with great comic highlights as well as darker questions about controlling a relationship. Well acted, lots of fun, and original. In a world where intelligent scripts are in short supply, this one definitely makes the grade.What would you do if you could create your dream mate, to determine if that person was happy or sad, what they did and what they felt? What would that control feel like? What would you do if the dream mate started growing and having her own feelings, moving away from you in the process? How can you let go of something you have created? There's plenty to think about in this movie, yet it is sweet, light and amusing. Kudos to the team that brought it forward.