Anybody who has at one point or another imagined themselves as a novelist, including yours truly, has created a female character who embodies every physical and personality trait they hold most dear. But what would they do if that girl suddenly showed up on their doorstep? And would she be everything they'd hoped her to be, or the greatest disappointment ever?
That's sorta what Paul Dano's character is going through in Ruby Sparks, a quirky new meta-comedy directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, their first film since Little Miss Sunshine. Formerly title He Loves Me and co-written by star Zoe Kazan, the story follows a successful writer(Dano) who can't seem to come back with a strong follow-up. Unlucky in love and struggling with writer's block, he creates a character named Ruby Sparks who is the perfect girl of his dreams, only to wake up one day and find her in his kitchen.
The tone has a touch of Charlie Kauffman, which is definitely a good thing, but what's going to matter most is how they play with the meta nature of the story. They seem to be aiming for the light romantic comedy crowd, and with Dano and the always great Kazan they should be able to pull that off effortlessly. Part of me expects more, though, so I'm assuming there's more to the story than this trailer reveals. Featuring an astounding cast with Steve Coogan, Chris Messina, Deborah Ann Woll, Antonio Banderas, Elliott Gould, Annette Bening, Alia Shawkat, and Aasif Mandvi, Ruby Sparks opens on July 25th. Check out the trailer below....
