Please make sure that your suspension of disbelief is in it's full upright and locked position. What we have here with the semi-sweet comedy She's Out of My League is an unrealistic, yet surprisingly self-aware story of a nice guy actually finishing first for a change.
Airport security guard Kirk (Jay Baruchel) has been separated from his girlfriend for the past few years, yet her presence remains because it seems Kirk's parents prefer her over their own son. I will get to the family from hell in a minute. Kirk is on the verge of begging for another shot, when by chance and a lost cell phone he lands on the radar of the stunning Molly (Alice Eve). Before long everyone: friends, relatives, former flames, and even Kirk are asking themselves the question "Is she really going out with him?"
I don't want to take this opportunity to bash Mr. Baruchel in the looks department, nor praise Ms. Eve in the same field. Apparently the only reason everyone thinks their relationship has no chance of working is because the nerd is never meant to date the cheerleader. In all unfair honesty that is a realistic notion. What I liked about both of the characters is that they are warm, likable, and decent human beings. While it may seem that they wouldn't realistically make a good couple, in this film, they do.
Although it took a while, I ended up admiring Kirk's group of friends. At first they treat his relationship with Molly with an almost veiled sense of envy. This explains the ludicrous yet humorous "point system". Your looks get you a base number, (for example Kirk is rated a 5) and then your points can fluctuate up or down depending on your crappy car, sense of humor, or whether you perform in a Hall & Oates cover band. Once they realize is she the right girl for him they do everything they can to make sure their friend finds happiness.
Kirk's family on the other hand is an entirely different story altogether. Their presence is so insulting and bothersome that they very nearly kept me from enjoying this film. I liked the way Molly handles herself at the absurdly embarrassing dinner scene. They bombard her with stupid questions as though they are trying to ruin any chance Kirk has with her. She just smiles, puts everyone in their place, and in a very sweet gesture assures Kirk that she's fine by placing her hand on his knee. I couldn't help but overhear the collective "awww" coming from the row of ladies sitting behind me. Although I didn't join in, the feeling was definitely mutual.
She's Out of My League may not be a great or terribly believable romantic comedy, but it is a pretty good one. There are a fair amount of gross out jokes and one liners that hit the mark, or at least come very close to hitting it. Even with the most painfully unlikable family since Meet the Parents it may only score a 5, but it's heart and likable leads earn this film a few extra points. B-
0 comments:
Post a Comment