Review: Ruby Sparks

Calvin (Paul Dano) is a novelist with writer’s block who cannot find a girl until he invents her. Lo, Ruby (Zoe Kazan) actually materialises into flesh-and-blood reality and turns his life around. Suddenly he’s feted, and no longer needs his all-knowing shrink (Elliott Gould).

But what begins as love spirals into control. Calvin can control Ruby’s every move, mood and emotion just by typing words on a sheet of paper. He soon comes to learn that real love can’t be written or manufactured.

A fresh and visionary look at love and obsession, Ruby Sparks bursts with originality and an offbeat view of the established mores of romance. This is far from a standard chick flick; nor is it a quirky rom-com featuring a kooky heroine. Instead the combination of Kazan, Dano and directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton (creators of Little Miss Sunshine) provides something deeper and far more resonant.

A fine actress who prefers to be known as a writer, Kazan ricochets from adoration to madness as the puppet controlled by Dano’s desperate Frankensteinian creator. There is darkness here amidst the light. And that’s what makes this one so unique. Gould is joined in the guest support by Annette Bening and Antonio Banderas while Steve Coogan crops up as an unctuous publisher. It’s a perfect ensemble for an unusual film that dares to break down walls.