Paul Deno appears in his second film of the month, also starring in Looper. He doesn't suffer such a horrid fate in Ruby as he did in Looper though, where he was gruesomely butchered, but that's not surprising as Ruby Sparks is a very different film. It is basically a love story, a 'Rom Com' though I hasten to use that term as I see it as insulting, or something involving Jennifer Aniston.
Paul Deno fits into his role as quirky and lonely Calvin with ease. As a young genius, publishing a bestselling novel at only the age of 19 he retreats into the shadows for the next decade, struggling to socialise or write that difficult second novel, until he dreams of Ruby and that's all he can think and write about. He begins to write a new novel about Ruby and she becomes real, in that whatever he writes about Ruby becomes true, much to the joy of him and his brother Harry. Chris Messina, as Harry adds a nice touch to Calvin's character, helping with the humour and reality of the situation. However, Deno and Messina look so different I'd have to question their mother to see if they both actually shared the same dad...
It is a good mix of humour and emotion, as although Ruby may have been created by Calvin, she is very much a real person with her own feelings, even if Calvin can make her do or be anything he wants just by typing it on his typewriter.
Inevitably their relationship begins to fall apart once the aches and pains of life wear them down. Calvin's attempts to salvage their relationship leads to comical scenes in which Ruby's personality goes through a variety of changes from painfully clingy to ridiculously joyful.
Ruby Sparks is a film of solid acting, good humour and the realities of love and relationships. There are also some enjoyable appearances from Antonio Banderas, Steve Coogan and Elliot Gould.
For fans of love stories and films with a different spin on things.
Stars ***
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