Movie with Abe: Ruby Sparks

Ruby Sparks
Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
Released July 25, 2012

Writer and star Zoe Kazan discusses the film

The directors of “Little Miss Sunshine” are back with an equally charming story full of colorful characters. In this endearing film that directing duo and married couple Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris termed a “funny genre-bender” rather than a romantic comedy, young author Calvin (Paul Dano) brings to life the main character of his new novel, Ruby (Zoe Kazan). While it may sound like 2006’s “Stranger Than Fiction,” this film focuses more on the writer-character relationship and how they grow to accept the peculiar situation in which they find themselves. It’s a wonderful, highly engaging journey that manages to dip deep into these characters and come out the other side with something meaningful.

Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris discuss the film

Dayton and Faris aren’t the only couple involved in this film. Dano and Kazan are also real-life boyfriend and girlfriend who have worked together previously with positive results. Kazan wrote the script for “Ruby Sparks,” and, according to both partners, Dano became involved when he read the script and assumed that she was writing it for the two of them. Dayton and Faris described working with a couple in front of the camera as advantageous because they were both so committed to the material and so trusting with each other, and also shared an amusing anecdote about having to cut out pet names used by Dano and Kazan for each other that had found their way into the script so that Calvin and Ruby could be their own characters.

Star Paul Dano discusses the film

Dano, who had a memorable part in “Little Miss Sunshine,” portrays Calvin as a loner who doesn’t welcome the attention that writing a popular novel at a young age has garnered him, whose only friend is his brother Harry (Chris Messina) and would gladly spend all day inside with his newfound girlfriend. In many ways, it’s the most normal performance Dano has given thus far in his career. Kazan, who had the lead role in the small independent film “The Exploding Girl” several years ago, is simply marvelous as the alluring and sweet invention of Calvin’s imagination. Messina, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Alia Shawkat, and Elliott Gould complete a fantastic ensemble, and it seems like they’re all having a blast. The writing is astute and clever, and it’s clear that Kazan has invested a lot in this character that she has created. Like “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Ruby Sparks” is a pleasant and affecting comedy that incorporates its more dramatic moments with grace and respect.

B+

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Ruby Sparks

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Ruby Sparks – Opening July 25, 2012

It’s always entertaining to take a trip into a writer’s mind as his story plays out simultaneously on screen. Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson did this dance back in 2006 in “Stranger than Fiction,” which proved to be an amusing experiment. Now Paul Dano, known for portraying outcasts and loners, is an author whose main character comes to life. Zoe Kazan, who has appeared in “It’s Complicated” and who I got to interview several years ago when she starred in “The Exploding Girl,” is the girl in question, who seduces Dano’s Calvin and throws him for a loop by constantly appearing in his life even though he invented her. I’m thrilled by two people in the supporting cast in particular. Chris Messina, who appeared in this past week’s new release “The Giant Mechanical Man,” has the part of the cheerleading brother, and Elliott Gould, so funny in his recurring role as Monica and Ross’ dad on “Friends,” looks to be having a blast as Calvin’s encouraging therapist. A film like this doesn’t stress logic, and that means that there’s plenty of potential for everyone just to have a good time. Kazan herself wrote the screenplay, and the film comes from Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the directors of “Little Miss Sunshine,” a truly endearing movie. I love the line “Don’t tell me how it ends” as uttered by Ruby in the trailer, and I hope that this movie is just as marvelous and magical as it looks.