Ruby Sparks

Ruby Sparks hits that sweet emotional spot much in the same way "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" does. While you are at once charmed by the whimsy and romance, there's still a gut punch of emotional rawness just waiting to be delivered.

Ruby Sparks is a romantic comedy that takes off from a premise so fanciful it needs every bit of the freshness that Dano brings it.

There's little doubt that Kazan has written a sly, amusing portrait of male self-absorption and artistic tyranny.

A movie about the power of the imagination really becomes a movie about a certain element of surrender - about the release of power - that is practically a requirement for loving somebody.

For a movie so bent on skewering illusions, Ruby Sparks ultimately can't entirely let go of its own.

If Ruby were more of a person than a character, we might care more for her plight. But like Calvin, Kazan has written herself into a corner that can only lead to embracing the sappy romantic clichés that Ruby Sparks tries half-heartedly to mock.

The script is breezy, but neither of the two leads have the heft or charm to carry an entire feature-length film - separately or together.

Zoe Kazan is really a great writer. This movie was so perfect in many ways. The directing, the cinematography, the soundtracks, the script, the angles, all of them were so fit that made this movie was phenomenal. The climax, they nailed it. Screwed my mind for a month or longer. I cried. This comedy movie made me cry. How was that even possible?! Paul Dano was really awesome. His acting on this movie was his best so far. Most of his characters from his other movies look similar, kind of a depression character or something, but in this movie, he gave me a new exciting and his real original act, like nobody could act this character except him. He's enchanted. I do love the cinematography. I thought this movie should get lots of awards. I thought Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan should get many awards. Thank you.

I'll show you bona fide loving. 106 minutes of love, learning, and magic. Love story that will touch the soul and stimulate the mind. Love is real and sometimes things don't need an explanation, rhyme, or reason. Highs and lows, dark times and elation. This movie will take you through the true roller coaster of life and love.

The pleasantest surprise I've had in a while. This seems to me not so much a love story or a commentary on male-female power relationships as it does a treatment of the question of how much control the writer has on his imagination and on reality. As such, it has the virtue of getting more interesting as it goes on. The two leads are perfect--this is what American indie films should be.

Likely won't receive Oscar attention, but this film deserves it. Kazan's script tears apart the unrealistic male fantasy of the manic pixie dream girl by bringing the cliche to life in an offbeat, yet dark, comedy with interesting messages about the nature of adult relationships. There may not be a better script in all of 2012.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]