4/5 stars

Many may watch the trailer for Ruby Sparks and write it off as ‘just another Rom-Com’. But this is not your average Rom-Com. Calvin, a struggling novelist, writes about Ruby Sparks, his image of the perfect girl. He quickly falls in love with his own creation, until one day Ruby shows up in his kitchen, completely non-fictional, as though she’s been around for years. Cue comic confusion and a relationship rollercoaster.

The film as a whole is fantastic. Zoe Kazan (who also plays Ruby) has written a brilliant screenplay, perfectly paced with some great one-liners, and a well-balanced mixture of comic scenes and emotionally charged moments. Such moments were accompanied by the film’s gorgeous soundtrack (composed by Nick Urata), and have undergone some great editing to create some really touching scenes; such as when Calvin kisses Ruby for the first time, and everything else seems to stop.

Paul Dano is impeccably cast as Calvin; switching effortlessly between socially awkward and slightly neurotic to cute, caring and sensitive. His character is contrasted effectively with his more down-to-earth brother, Harry (a notably good performance by Chris Messina). He and Dano have a wonderful chemistry onscreen and this brotherly relationship is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the film.

Without spoiling anything, this film does not play out the way most films of this genre do; in fact, it is accompanied by a very poignant and thought-provoking message about the nature of relationships and how we may project images of perfection onto people. And it does this in such a way that anyone can watch it without feeling alienated; yes, even boyfriends that think they’re being dragged to “another Rom-Com.”

Alice Rafter