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What happens when your imaginary muse leaps off the printed page and greets you in the kitchen with eggs? That’s the ostensible question posed by the writerly romantic comedy “Ruby Sparks,” but it surely isn’t the only one. Both sweet and slyly dark, the film, which marks the sophomore effort of “Little Miss Sunshine” helmers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, explores some complicated territory beneath is magical-realist canoodling, presenting its creatively stifled novelist (Paul Dano) as an awkward puppy dog with near-contemptible quirks. Is Dano’s Calvin Weir-Fields hero or anti-hero? Does he deserve to be with his sprightly creation, Ruby (Zoe Kazan), or doesn’t he?
Such shaky points are among the many plusses of the script Kazan wrote, a bold venture that allowed the actress to perform opposite her real-life squeeze (Dano), and lovingly critique the self-involvement and manipulative ways of successful male artists. It also gave Kazan the chance to pen her own showcase role, which births a performance that’s among this year’s best, evolving in dramatic range and emotional intensity. Inexplicably manifested from a story Calvin is writing, Ruby is strong-willed, but slave to whatever Calvin types about her, including her varying feelings toward him and random improbabilities like her sudden fluency in French. Kazan is the fervid answer to Dano’s nebbish bewilderment, resulting in a give-and-take that comes to a surprising head.
A behind-the-camera couple leading the couple on set, husband-and-wife team Dayton and Faris raise their visual palette considerably, offering a thoughtful look that wasn’t quite present in their unfussy, road-trip debut. Shot with attention to shapes by Matthew Libatique, Calvin’s stark-white apartment looks like both blank page and rodent’s cage, and it’s the best example of how the movie’s aesthetic supports its various themes. To that end, what exists beyond the space is often awash with color, including Ruby, who, with her vibrant outfits and vivid demeanor, serves to bridge the gap and de-fog Calvin’s world.
A cool little psychological study wrapped up in a date film, “Ruby Sparks” boasts the most interesting dichotomy of its own characters: Measurably simple on the outside, but far more rich within.
Ruby Sparks
R
Three reels out of four
Opens Friday at the Ritz East
Recommended Rental
The Lorax
PG
Available Tuesday
Both musical and environmental message movie, “The Lorax” is the best film yet to be adapted from a Dr. Seuss work, featuring memorable visuals alongside more memorable song breaks, and themes that prove the late author’s uncanny knack for timelessness. Danny DeVito voices the titular nature protector, whose broad mustache has the same marshmallow buoyancy of the trees he aims to save. So far, “The Lorax” is 2012’s animated film to beat.
Contact the South Philly Review at editor@southphillyreview.com.
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