Wednesday, October 16, 2013


Ruby Sparks

The brilliant, quirky, highly original comedy-drama Ruby Sparks is a production that is hard to forget. This film makes a ludicrous act of magic seem absolutely possible.  As a young successful novelist Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is struggling to write a meaningful story. His therapist, Dr. Rosenthal (Elliot Gould), gives Calvin a writing assignment to help motivate him. The simple assignment is to write a page about someone who likes his vapid ordinary dog, Scotty. That night Calvin has a dream in which he meets a stunning unique woman who, to his surprise, finds positive qualities in Scotty. Calvin wakes up and is inspired to write about the magical girl. After writing pages and pages about the messy yet lovable Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan), Calvin admits he is falling in love with the character he is creating.  Calvin's brother Harry (Chris Messina) and sister-in-law Susie (Toni Trucks) come to visit and find mysterious articles of women's clothing around the house. The next day, Calvin wakes up to find a girl eating in his kitchen. The young girl acts as if she's known Calvin for a very long time. After hearing the girl speak about strangely familiar topics, Calvin realizes that the living person in his house is in fact, his character, Ruby Sparks. Startled, Calvin hides from what seems to be a figment of his imagination. With the help of Harry, Calvin does a series of small tests to prove that Ruby is actually alive. After Ruby interacts with a myriad of other human beings, Calvin realizes that his ultimate dream came true. Although Calvin is finally living in bliss, he cannot ignore the fact that he has full control over Ruby's entire being. Can Calvin ignore the temptation? Ruby's personality, and thoughts are on the line. Calvin is left to face various heart wrenching obstacles while attempting to make sense of an inconceivable miracle.

Ruby Sparks smoothly incorporates magic into a realistic story with ease. This incredible idea pulls the audience in while the script never fails to impress. Although it is a truly fictional story, the unbelievably genuine characters, especially Ruby, compel the audience to believe anything is possible.