Review: Ruby Sparks (2012)
Directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, 2012.
Though Ruby Sparks is still a young kitten in the movie litterbox, it’s well worth a recommendation. The 2000s saw a growth in ‘loveable quirky hipster movies’ such as Garden State (2004), (500) Days of Summer (2009), and Daydream Nation (2010). A large number of those movies turned out to be neither quirky nor loveable. Remember Kaboom (2010)? Of course not. Ruby Sparks succeeds in the areas where most ‘quirky’ movies – just like hipsters themselves – fall short.
The movie stars Paul Dano as Calvin Weir-Fields, a writer with writer’s block. When Calvin’s therapist orders him to write a single page about someone who likes his dog Scotty, he finds new inspiration within his own fantasy: Calvin creates the character of ‘Ruby Sparks, a 26-year-old painter from Dayton, Ohio.’ When his new muse leaves the written page and enters his kitchen, his world is suddenly turned upside down. While staying light of heart, Ruby Sparks raises some interesting questions about free will and the boundaries that have to be crossed to love and to be loved in return.
More Snippet Reviews
Review: Ruby Sparks (2012) Read More »