Elle s'appelle Ruby

I liked the movie a lot. I felt very moved and intrigued both by the premise and the complications to move the story along.

Big but: The lead character, Calvin, is not believable as a "genius novelist" nor even as a pretty good one. Why? He has no idea how to make Ruby, whom he completely controls, subtle and complex the way any good novelist would his characters.

He paints her happy and sad, joyful and childishly clinging with such broad brush strokes he is an incompetent "inventor" of a character/person, let alone his dream girl. If you or I created an automaton, WE might swing back and forth to the extremes while trying to adjust his/her behavior. Calvin should be an expert not a tyro at subtle shades of behavior. Granted, if he got her just right, we would have no crisis to force the story to a resolution.

And the resolution is Hollywood sugar. In Europe or Israel, the hero would be left with the sad results of his failure. (He stares out to sea on a deserted beach to ponder what happened and his bleak future?) Here, the filmmakers insist we leave the theater feeling good about Calvin and Ruby.

It is an honest movie. In the beginning it is cute and funny, but then it quickly turns very serious and a little bit dark. Calvin creates a very similar relationship, to his last, with a woman who appears after he writes about her. It is a movie about their struggles as he attempts to create his perfect relationship by changing it on paper. It is a beautifully written story. Most movies today are about the special effects and don't have enough of the story. This movie is full of story and a great one. You will leave the movie theater feeling like you just watched a really great movie! Must see! This is what movie making should be about.

The unique Zoe Kazan wrote and stars in this quirky, fascinating, and original film about a writer with writer's block (Paul Dano, Kazan's real-life main squeeze) who invents the girl of his dreams, writes about her, and watches her become real.

While this film has been billed by reviewers and marketed by publicists as a "romantic comedy," in many ways it's not. It's both more and less. Less predictable, certainly, as the endings of modern romantic comedies are notoriously pat. More ... what? Strange? Edgy? Depressing even (at times)? Maybe all of the above. But ultimately upbeat.

The gifted Paul Dano has created a character - a young woman - who is exactly who he wants, or at least so he thinks. It's not until he meets his ex at a party 2/3 of the way through the movie that the audience really begins to understand what's going on. And it's not just hearts and flowers. But no spoilers here.

That Kazan pulled off both this original idea AND the ability to end it in a way that made sense yet left unanswered questions that should be unanswered is testimony to her screen-writing talents. Her roots here are strong: both of her screen writing parents and her famed grandfather Elia. But Zoe is also extremely appealing as the film's title character, showing a range of acting skills that could make her a star.

And for fun, we get Bening, Banderas, and Gould, all enlivening the proceedings.

Original movies are hard to find, and when you find them, often hard to watch. This film is both original and very watchable.

In a world full of remakes and sequels, it is becoming more and more rare to get something truly original. When something does finally come along it is always hit and miss. Backed by a strong cast including Paul Dano, Steve Coogan, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, and Elliott Gould, Ruby Sparks attempts to be that latest independent film to bring audiences something new and creative. Can a film with an idea that seems to be based on both fantasy and reality come together to deliver that refreshing film or be just another lost opportunity? Ruby Sparks follows a writer dealing with writer's block as well as a desperate attempt to find love. When the female character he is writing becomes real, his life spirals into various directions trying to determine where his writing will take them. While the story basis for this film comes off a bit unrealistic, the way it is handled makes you buy into the story. For the first half of the film it is pretty funny and creative delivering one of the more entertaining original films in sometime. As it moves forward and towards the inevitable darker tone it seems to slow down a bit making some moments drag a little. Everyone gives a great performance, but Paul Dano really steps up delivering a quirky uncomfortable innocence to the lead that makes it all work. Some of the characters decisions could have been looked at as a bit creepy, but thanks to the way he handled it comes off as a bit more enduring. This is easily one of the more unique romantic comedies to come along in a while stepping away from the normal format and instead taking a left hand turn creating something new.

This is a funny touching film that does get a bit heavy at times and while not a long movie does feel a bit too long at times due to pacing. As a whole, it still manages to work on most levels and accomplishes what it seems to set out to do. If you are ready and willing to take a break from the big budget spectacles of Hollywood, then give this character study a chance you will be pleasantly surprised.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

The storyline is original and very well written. I thought it was great. It's not about superheroes or an action movie or a thriller or a blockbuster. So who would enjoy it? Geeks, smart people, romantics, sci- fi lovers ... Regarding the latter, I'm sure the writer was not thinking in terms of sci fi, but it meets my #1 criterion for great sci fi, namely, it changes one aspect of ordinary reality, preferably the here and now and not the distant future, and through that change gives insight into that ordinary reality that we live in. Despite its' being about impossible fiction, it seemed more real than most movies. A lot of the best writing has a writer as the main character - so maybe it's true that one should write about what one knows best. Of course, it's about romance and objectification as well and that's well done as well.