Ruby Sparks light a fire

Recently released from FOX, Ruby Sparks is the story of a boy and a girl. But it's oh so much more than that. The boy, Calvin (Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine), is a young, best selling author who is struggling to find inspiration to repeat his success. At the advice of his therapist, Dr. Rosenthal (Elliot Gould, MASH), he writes about a girl that can accept him as he is. And then the girl, Ruby (Zoe Kazan, Dano's real life girlfriend and the writer of this film), appears in his apartment.

Now, Calvin is not going crazy. At least, he doesn't appear to be. His brother, Harry (Chris Messina, The Mindy Project, Damages), can see her, too, as can everyone else. Once viewers are able to suspend that disbelief, one can really get invested in the tale of this couple, who are made for each other, on one side, quite literally.

But no one is perfect. As much as Ruby is the girl that Calvin imagines he wants to be with, she is also a fully developed person, not just a two dimensional figure on paper. Which means, she has a mind of her own, and can do things that bug Calvin, or make him feel down on himself. Calvin has the power to change Ruby at any time just by whipping his type writer back out. It isn't too long before he gives in to temptation and does just that.

One can tell that Ruby Sparks is written by a woman. Rather than rewriting Ruby for sexual purposes, an option brought up by Harry, but quickly dismissed by the more sensitive Calvin, he just tweaks her personality so that she is devoted to him, and he gets rids of things about her he finds annoying. However, when Calvin begins to remove layers, even with the best of intentions, because, after all, she is his creation, and so it could be argued that he has a right to make adjustments, he also erases the essence that makes Ruby Ruby. She no longer has free will, nor is she the person he wanted to be with. This is a case of over-thinking things.

Ruby Sparks really makes the audience think, too. Surely, many people have dreamed up a scenario such as this, but how many have taken time to really explore what being in this situation would mean? How many consider all the implications and nuanced rules that would go hand in hand with the occurrence? Kazan proves her talents as a writer quite handily, really fleshing out everything in a very believable way.

And does anyone truly want what they consider to be the perfect girl? Not only would this be boring, but how would Calvin ever be challenged to grow? If all he wants is an idea of a woman, the internet and blowup dolls exist. No, he wants a companion, and that means he must take the good with that bad. Those are the facts of life.

All television them song references aside, Ruby Sparks is a fascinating, smart movie that is very enjoyable, but also so much more than mindless entertainment. Buoyed by an excellent supporting cast, each with wonderful featured moments, that includes Toni Trucks (Made in Jersey), Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development), Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood), Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder), Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show), Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right), and an amazing turn by Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), this is a movie that begs repeat viewings.

In fact, if one stops the film about two minutes before the end, I would consider it a near-perfect movie. There's a tag I'm not a fan of; I'd prefer if the next to last scene served as the ending. Others may disagree.

The special features, on the other hand, at least the ones included on the review copy I got, leave much to be desired. There are three featurettes of only a few minutes each in length that are pretty repetitive, just praising those involved. It is pointed out that not only are Dano and Kazan a couple, but so are the directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (both Little Miss Sunshine). But that's about the only thing interesting gleaned from the scant extras. Hopefully, there will be another release in the future that packages a bit more, because, the impression I get is, the story behind the story is probably pretty neat, as well.

Ruby Sparks is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published as DVD Review: Ruby Sparks on Blogcritics.

Bored to Death ends second season

     Last night, HBO's Bored to Death finished its second season. It's a noir-comedy, and that if sounds odd, you should see it! I liked the second season way better than the first. The characters were better defined, as were their relationships to each other. The humor was tighter. Guest stars became recurring characters. Less case-of-the-week, and more play into an ongoing plot. Plus the cases-of-the-week they did have often came back up later, and they were just more fun.

     In the finale, Jonathan (Jason Schwartzman) contemplates whether he should let Nina (Zoe Kazan) move in after one night of great sex. By the end of the episode, Jonathan still hasn't made a decision. He's too involved with his friends' drama, and fighting with nemesis Louis (John Hodgman) to think all that much about it.

     In fact, all three principal characters are pretty self-involved. They care about each other, but that's about it. Only Ray (Zach Galifianakis) truly loves a woman, Leah (Heather Burns). But while Ray is still thinking about her, he beds several other women this season, whom he doesn't seem to care a lick about. Jonathan similarly doesn't seem to let his most recent breakup affect him that much. Even Jonathan's pining over his ex in season one seemed more for his benefit than to make her happy. Thankfully, the pining did not really continue into season two.

     Self-involvment can be funny (think Seinfeld or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), but somehow this show makes it seem fresh all over again. Not to mention, the characters stay very likable. They're not mean to others; they let Vikram (Ajay Naidu) hang out with them instead of treating him like a driver. They just don't take much interest in others.

     The heart of the series is not love. It's the hilarious hijinks in a three-way bromance. Whether it's rescuing a lovely Korean tranny from his father's spa, or buying rubber bullets when high to stage a rescue from real bad guys. Jonathan did eventually go to lengths to save Ray from his stalker, but he cut an earlier stakeout short because he had to get to a job interview.

     George (Ted Danson) is the most clueless, but he mostly just rolls with whatever happens. He will occasionally take a stand, such as quitting the magazine in the finale. But when he's with Ray and Jonathan, he just seems along for the ride. It probably helps that he's usually incredibly stoned. I think he's also trying to recapture his youth through them, and there is a genuine father-son-esque bond between Jonathan and George.

     I have referenced three main characters. While it is true that Leah was upgraded to series regular for season two, she still wasn't in every episode, and had not independent plot apart from the main three. Hence, despite her name in the credits, she still comes across as a supporting player. As she should stay, because any dissolution from the three guys would probably bring down the show. Other actors appearing are quite capable, but the three men have a chemistry that defines the series.

     I could spend paragraphs dissecting each of the three leads. There is ample neurosis and depth to them all. But it's not necessary. The show is enjoyable at a surface level, as well as with some after thought. It's three A-list actors, taking a break from careers to film eight half-hours a year. I am very glad that they do. I look forward to a third season.


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Article first published as TV Review: Bored to Death Ends a Second Season on Blogcritics.