व्हाट इज योर नंबर?

I saw the promos for this pic when I saw "Crazy Stupid Love" and "Our Idiot Brother". It seemed kind of funny, so I took a chance on it tonight.

I'm not a big fan of the bubbly blonde genre, nor do I frown upon it, but the film seemed to have lots of sexual references, almost too many for a character like Anna Faris's "Ally Darling". In this regard the film is a bit of a disappointment as it dove immediately to uninhibited descriptors of sex, as opposed to building up to those moments where Anna's character has to blurt out the obvious. But hey, it's a chick flick rom-com, so you can't really fault it too much, because it does mean well.

I can't say I laughed too much at this film, but laugh I did, and I truly wanted to laugh more, but the humor bounced from raunch to intellectual, with some shades of gray in-between. So it was that I found myself hard pressed to absorb and laugh at all of the sexually oriented humor, but nor was I a prude in that department, as I could very much appreciate some of the finer points of sex-gags.

Some of the alleged romantic moments seemed way over the top. So much that one wonders why they were put in there to begin with. And casting Colin Shea as the hunky yet uninteresting neighbor who might be a sleaze, seemed a bit of a stretch. Particularly when Ally's past suitors physiques pail in comparison to her sleuth-neighbor.

The other stretch is the notion that perky cute blonde living on her own in Boston would have a hard time finding mister right. But, it's a movie, so we take the premise for what it is, and either go with it, or shrug and begrudgingly accept what is put forth.

Technical marks all hit their cues. There're some interesting shots here and there, and one wonders how they got some of those. Otherwise this film isn't about great cinematography nor sound, just about a quirky little girl in a highly explicit verbal-sex film. Now, having said that, I think the delivery and editing of some of the lines (not to mention some of the lines themselves) could have been better executed, for the film does feel a bit flat in act I, and doesn't really pick up until a third of the way into act II.

Still, it is what it is. Not a film I'd go see again, something I might rent in the future just to see what went into making this film.

Give it a chance.

I know I shouldn't have liked or enjoyed it. Especially because I'm not really a big fan of Anna Faris (as an actress that is). But you can't fault her in this one. She really gets the most of many scenes (as stupid as they seem and feel like). And while this isn't really something that should be accounted for (as a positive), it really is nice, that it does not pull any punches (talking about the R-rating, although there is a longer cut to be released later on).

Of course you know where this is heading and while the ending again might fall short of all the swagger that has come up to that point it still feels like a nice comedy. Or should I say "raunchy" instead of nice? But both words fit the bill here. Both lead actors are obviously having fun and it translates and really transcends to the viewer. Not comedy gold, but entertaining enough

What's Your Number simply is better than most rom-coms. It's a lot of fun, and puts some sizzle into the shizzle by giving it a little bit more sexyback than most. It's saved by two cute lead performances, a solid script, and a nod to the world that life ain't the 1950s anymore.

We really enjoyed this - it has a lot of heart, some genuine laughs, nothing too crude, it's sassy, even sexy, without being anything dangerous, and it's main plot device - what if you could go back and meet all your Exes - is one that has to ring true with a wide swathe of people.

All in all, if you like rom-coms then this is going to be exactly what you like; it makes you feel romantic, like true love is possible, and does so without being either prissy or crude; and it scores points for pointing out what really matters in life.... all in all a fun outing that both the heart and the mind can enjoy.

For a typical romantic comedy, "What's Your Number" sort of surprised me, as it was just a tad more than your average movie of this sort.

What initially made me watch it was Anna Faris (playing Ally), because she usually makes funny comedies, and I have always found her acting to be enjoyable, and her selection of characters is usually great as well. Her performance in "What's Your Number", however, wasn't her best performance in her career, in my opinion. It wasn't bad either, it was just that she are better off in straight comedies in my opinion, not these romantic comedies. But hey, we all have different likes and dislikes.

Working with Farris was Chris Evans (playing Collin), whom I can't claim to be a big fan of. I think I have only seen him in the previous couple of superhero movies that he did. And I think he was better cut out for action movies of that sort compared to the romantic comedies. I will say that Farris and Evans did have a certain good amount of on-screen chemistry that worked out well enough.

As for the story in "What's Your Number", well it is basically your average standard run-of-the-mill plot line here. An unlikely couple starting out as strangers, then eventually becoming closer and closer, until they realize that the right one was right there in front of them all along. So nothing new to be seen here in that department. The plot did thicken with the layer added when the story was given the part with how many sexual partners does a woman have in her lifetime. That aspect was kind of fun and did add some pretty awkward situations here and there.

For a comedy, there wasn't all that many laughs throughout this movie. The best scene, and the best laugh (for me), was the very last phone call that Ally got while they were in the apartment. That cracked me up.

"What's Your Number" isn't a boring movie, and it does have some more substance compared to other romantic comedies. However, I think you have to be a woman to fully appreciate this movie. As a guy, I can now say that I have seen it, and it is doubtful that I will be putting the movie on a second time, unless wifey wants to watch it again.

WHAT'S YOU NUMBER? is a flimsy bit of fluff based on the novel '20 Times A Lady' by Karen Bosnak and transformed for the screen by Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden. It is a very light comedy that has some observations about today's dating/quasi-relationship scene, but those impressions are a bit too true to be funny, so it is best to just concentrate on the film as a diversion of the kick back, put feet up, and giggle along with it genre.

Ally Darling (!) (Anna Faris) has a history of having many ex-boy connections who turned out to be losers. Reading an article that offers number amounts for judging sexual encounters (Ally has exceeded the norm) she freaks and believes that she can't find THE good guy. Deciding to reevaluate her ex-encounters searching for Mr Right, she decides to look up all of her exs to see if any of them have changed for the better. Finding this task daunting she turns to her apartment neighbor Colin Shea (Chris Evans), a would-be musician who sleeps with women every night and sneaks out the morning after to avoid relating to them, to act as her detective. The rest is a contrived series of ups and downs of the manhunt that has few qualified candidates. And the end is predictable.

For once Anna Faris has snagged a role that shows her talent (and fingernails-on-the- blackboard voice) and she looks terrific. But the biggest treat in the film is Chris Evans appearing in the buff often enough to keep the movie on: not only does he enjoy his Adonis body but he seems happy allowing it to buff up an otherwise routine comedy part. There is another attraction in the wings - Oliver Jackson-Cohen - who seems to have a future in film. Tuck in the always reliable Blythe Danner and Ed Begley, Jr and this is a cast worth an evening's outing. But the treat on top of the confection is the eye candy generously shared by Chris Evans.

Grady Harp