2010

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Avoids being just another raunch-com via good heart & earnestness of Baruchel & Eve. TJ Miller & Krysten Ritter take turns stealing show…

Spoiler-free Movie Review of She’s Out of My League:

#140RVW published 9/13/2013; full review 9/25/2015

This thing works for a few reasons and not necessarily the obvious ones. Jay Baruchel is brilliant as lead character Kirk – yes, doing the sad sack thing, but he’s really likable as a nice guy and easy to root for. Yes, Alice Eve is stunning, so she makes Molly’s relationship with Kirk properly hard to understand on the surface, which is after all the plot of the film, but far more importantly she conveys a thoughtfulness and range of feeling that maintains credibility in the premise that this amazing woman would fall for Kirk. There’s a scene about 30 minutes into the film where she shows genuine confusion over a friend questioning her pursuit of Kirk that does a lot to sell her character’s earnestness.

The comedy is first-rate, even if it has a certain “me too” sameness inherent to all adult comedies since The 40-Year Old Virgin. The chain of events and gags will seem extremely familiar to anyone who has seen any of the “naughty” comedies of the past 10 years. But this is hardly a critical problem as the film isn’t really aiming for anything grander.

The supporting cast is absolutely wonderful, with a ton of great comic actors delivering the ribald lines. Especially noteworthy are Krysten Ritter and T.J. Miller. Ritter’s Patty is a perfect showcase for the actress/model’s cutting delivery and almost certainly single-handedly landed her a network show (the not long-lived one note – but very funny – Don’t Trust the B_ in Apartment 23). Miller continues to be one of the most dependable funnymen in the business and this turn as Kirk’s best friend Stainer gives him one of his meatier roles to date.

But the dynamic of each group of cast members is exceptional, whether his poisonous relationship with his ex, Marnie (Lindsay Sloane) and his unsupportive family (Kyle Bornheimer, Jessica St. Clair, Debra Jo Rupp & Adam LeFevre), or the great relationship with his protective friends, the understated Jack (Mike Vogel) or hilariously earnest Devon (Nate Torrence).

Feature film directing debut of Jim Field Smith, who went on to make the off-beat Butter. Solid work here, as is true of writers Sean Anders & John Morris. The film was produced by Dennis Miller’s brother Jimmy Miller, whose local roots are probably the reason for the atypical Pittsburgh setting. It’s a great touch; the city makes for a unique locale and informs the tone of the film in a great way.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Fail

The Representation Test Score: C (4 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

[schema type=”movie” name=”She’s Out of My League” description=”An average Joe meets the perfect woman, but his lack of confidence and the influence of his friends and family begin to pick away at the relationship.” director=”Jim Field Smith” actor_1=”Jay Baruchel” ]

Main Cast	Jay Baruchel Kirk Alice Eve Molly T.J. Miller Stainer Mike Vogel Jack
Rating	R
Release Date	Fri 12 Mar 2010 UTC
Director	Jim Field Smith
Genres	Comedy, Romance
Plot	An average Joe meets the perfect woman, but his lack of confidence and the influence of his friends and family begin to pick away at the relationship.
Poster
Runtime	104
Tagline	How can a 10 go for a 5?
Writers	Sean Anders (written by) &, John Morris (written by)
Year	2010