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Capone's first date with SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE went very well!!! She even slipped him a little tongue...
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
If you believe the poster of Jay Baruchel's perplexed face that is promoting the new romantic sex comedy SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE, you might think that the still-young star of "Undeclared," KNOCKED UP, TROPIC THUNDER, FANBOYS, NICE & NORA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST, and the upcoming THE SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, opposite Nicholas Cage, is responsible for holding down the comedic fort. And while Baruchel probably could do just that, he's fortunate enough to have an exceptional supporting cast on this film to take what could have been a simple story about a somewhat nerdy TSA agent capturing the fancy of an impossibly beautiful, successful woman, and turning it into something more meaningful and heartfelt.
Baruchel plays Kirk, who works at a Pittsburgh airport and has been recently dumped by Marnie (Lindsay Sloane), who not only is dating a new guy already, but the happy new couple hang out constantly with Kirk's family. On the job, Kirk ends up finding the lost cell phone of lovely event planner Molly (Alice Eve from CROSSING OVER AND STARTER FOR 10) and he agrees to hold onto it for her until she returns from her trip. As a way of thanking Kirk, Molly takes him out to dinner and she finds herself weirdly attracted to him, possibly because he's safe, but she believes it's because he's a genuinely nice guy of the variety she rarely dates.
Neither of their friends can quite make sense of this pairing, and that's one of the more interesting aspects and strengths to SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE. While the relationship stuff is charming and funny, it's the way their friends and family gradually chip away at the relationship that is interesting. His people make him believe that eventually she's going to dump him, and he'd better get out before he gets too attached. Meanwhile her best friend, parents, and ex-boyfriend all push her to get over this average-looking schmoe and get back on board with someone more her style. If the film has a message or a strength in its observational powers, it's about just how much stock we tend to put into what those around us say about the people we date or spend time with. Peer pressure is a bitch. And both Molly and Kirk's reaction to this pressure is more believable and painful than I was expecting.
I don't mean to make SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE seem like some treatise on odd couplings, although when it delves into that arena, it works. The film is also outrageously funny and gross at times, primarily because of the supporting players, especially T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, and Nate Torrence as Kirk's coworkers. Miller's Stainer has no filter between his genitals and his brain; Vogel is the handsome lady's man; and Torrence's overly sweet Devon might be my favorite character in the whole film as the only married member of the group, who seems a little obsessed with Disney princess characters. What's most funny about his character (you know, the only one with a stable relationship) is that his advice is sound and almost without fail rejected by the other guys as being too sensitive and feminine. Poor Kirk gets it from all sides, especially his absolutely evil family, including brother Dylan (Kyle Bornheimer) and parents (Debra Jo Rupp and Adam LeFevre). On Molly's side of the equation, her best friend Patty (the beyond cute Krysten Ritter, who has starred in so many terrible chick flicks in the last two years that this might as well be her first movie) is dishing out more bad advice.
Loaded with plenty of gross-out humor courtesy of screenwriters Sean Anders and John Morris, SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE strikes a nice balance between watching the relationship progress and giving us plenty of time to watch Kirk in his two circles of naysayers. There are probably two or three sequences in this movie that will take their place in the gross-out comedy hall of fame (or at least have a healthy-size space in an annex somewhere). But better than even those moments are the conversations between Kirk and his friends, who have no business being friends in the first place. These four guys don't belong together, but listening to them shoot the shit feels like listening in on old friends talking trash and spouting off philosophies about dating and relationships that are utter crap, but they believe them so passionately, you start to wonder if they might be right. First-time feature director Jim Field Smith is wise enough to let his cameras just keep rolling while this buffoons yammer away, and the result is conversational, relaxed, and incredibly funny.
The final act of SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE plays out a bit predictably, but by that point, I was already on board. Yes, Baruchel is cut from the cloth of Woody Allen, but he has always made me laugh, and he doesn't play Kirk as a complete loser. There is a strength to him, which is taken away not by the love of the beautiful woman but by his douchey friends. There's a certain confidence to his character that is easily shaken by a fear of the unknown, and he's too easily influenced by his friends' stupid theories. But Kirk is smart enough to know that he's easily influenced, and he actively fights against it.
SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE has a few short stretches that I didn't think worked. And the inclusion Molly's ex-boyfriend who wants her back doesn't really add anything to the story but a villain-like character that this film just doesn't need. But most of this movie alternates between cute, funny, moving, and hysterically gross. That's a combination I can learn to love, and after my first date with SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE, I'm feeling at least a strong like.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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And I'm a fan of Baruchel's work. He's much more enjoyable a figure on the screen than what's his nuts from Nick and Nora and Arrested Development.
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Mar 12, 2010 3:19:25 PM CST
So...a rom com that doesn't insult everyone's intelligence?
by greyspecter
Do they still make those?
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Isn't that what YOUR supposed to do?As a man?
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...Thats all i think bout when the commercials come on... shes not even that pretty, but them titties...
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It was super funny. I have to say it's right up there at times with 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up. I had serious doubts based on the trailer and was seriously wondering if Baruchel would be able to carry a film, but all my doubts were quickly pushed aside and he did a fantastic job. Going to see it again tonight with some friends. Highly recommended.
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...Okay, now I'd like to see it.
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I totally forgot he was in Million Dollar Baby, but he sold that role. And obviously, the geeky friend a/o over-achieving guy in the Rom/Com seems a natural fit. But I think he's got some props.-Cheers
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Seriously are we freaking funny or what? Yes we are.
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not worthy of being called a movie.
Hollyweird, hurry up and die. -
yes please
http://bit.ly/cElWuq -
Not worthy of anything.
Douchebag, hurry up and die. -
Capone, go fuck yourself with that bullshit. Heartfelt....cause that's what shitty comedies need more of....douchebag.
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Congatulatons asswipe. You know what the IMDb is. Now fuck off.
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Cuz nerds want to believe in this, and realists are saying this shit doesn't work that way in real life. Nerds want to believe that they could charm some girl that's way out of their league if they could only "get a chance", lol.
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Realists? It's a fucking comedy for Christ's sake. Y'know, like make believe? My question is why isn't it ever an ugly girl with a good looking guy? The Truth About Cats and Dogs is the only one that I can think of and that doesn't really qualify for me since I think Jeaneane Garofolo is kinda hot and Uma Thurman is kind not. My anger stems from hypercritical dipshits like kadong that blast movies they haven't even seen. These are the same clowns that all said the The Dark Knight was going to suck because the casting of Heath Ledger was all wrong. I dislike romcoms as much as the next guy but this one is pretty good. I before someone that's "clever" enough to google my name counters with "Well you're only saying that because you worked on it." let me say that I've disliked many movies that I've worked on. Zack and Miri, Adventureland and The Mothman Prophecies are three that immediately come to mind.
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made it look more sophomoric (in the sense that Blue Mountain State on Spike TV is sophomoric) than clever. "You're a moodle. A man poodle."
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you a plane doctor? No? So shut the fuck up."
"I think that Debbie here is one wicked hot box." "Thanks, babe." "And this chick of yours makes her look like a pig." "What?!"
And ***SPOILERS*** (for those who don't like their dick jokes spoiled) helping Kirk shave his package? Really? What contrived excuse do they come up with to make his friend have to shave him? Are Kirk's arms an inch too short to reach? Or does it even matter just as long as we get some dick comedy in there, which this movie seems to have plenty of.
Don't get me wrong, I'm going to see this, but the previews (even the Red Band trailer), which should at least try to sell me on the film, make it look like it tries too hard to be an Apatow comedy. The guy getting the girl who's too good for him. The bantering circle of idiotic but lovable friends. The dick jokes.
Still, it looks watchable, just not original. And Paul Bucciarelli, I think you're in bad company, since EVERYONE on AICN has blasted something before seeing it. And this is coming from someone who defended the Ledger-as-Joker choice from day one. -
Yeah, I realize that. That's why I don't post often and even try to avoid reading the talkbacks. You're absolutely right about the trailers. They're lame. Even the cast and crew think so. Concerning Ledger: Hats off to you for being so open-minded unlike 99.9% of the other AICN readers. It's a real good thing geeks are not in the casting business or we'd never have had Ledger's fantastic performance and every heroic role would be played by Bruce Campbell, John Hamm or Nathan Fillion.
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bad trailer. bad scenario. bad 'friends'. and, just for the record, watching tom hardy in 'bronson' last night made me wish he had played the joker (he'd have kicked ledger's ass).
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Love the name. Did you see the documentary? I've always hated that typeface and back when I was doing graphic design would go out of my way to not use it. Amazing just how much it is used. The trailer for SOOML is bad. The movie is not. If you like Tom Hardy make sure you keep your eye out for Warrior which will come out I believe in September. He's great in it (as well as Joel Edgerton) and was a really cool friendly dude. He was totally ripped for the part (playing a mixed martial arts fighter) and looked like he could really do some damage.
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Krysten Ritter is in this too--for those who recall she played Jesse's crazy sexy girlfriend Jane on "Breaking Bad".
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does that sound right?
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alrighty then, it means i should wait to see this on tv and be glad i didn't spend money seeing it. just once i'd like to see a comedy that "everyone" said was hilarious actually be funny.
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First off we'd only be lucky if Bruce and Nathan Fillion and John Hamm got casted as leads all the time, they are awesome. Secondly when you come on here and defend what you're saying with the "I work on movies" bull shit that doesn't mean you know what you're talking about it means you're a douche bag. Thirdly this movie looks shitty as hell. The trailers are cringe worthy and that bull shit idea of placing numbers on people rating their looks, well only virgins do shit like that.
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Your first sentence tells me all I need to know. "First off we'd only be lucky...they are awesome. Jesus Christ, how old are you? There should be a law prohibiting asswipes like you from touching a keyboard until your balls drop. You're definitely a virgin and a nerd. You can go back to beating off to Firefly now while you waiting for mommy to let you know when din-din's ready.
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My girlfriend won two tickets to an advance screening of this movie. This movie tried way to hard to be funny, it felt like it was lifting jokes off past comedy movies from the last 10 years. This is one of those that should of just skipped the theater and gone straight to dvd, save your money and see something better.
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You actually saw it and gave a valuable, INFORMED opinion of it. Quite different from the rest of the crowd. Angst-ridden losers like spectrbeeyatch post on here expressly to slam a movie that they've already decided the hate from a lame trailer. If you don't like a film's trailer and have no intent on seeing it then why post here? Seems like a big waste of energy to me. But I guess it's cheaper than therapy if you need to vent and too cowardly to pick a fight with someone in a bar.
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Hey...there was a paragraph at the end of this review that praised Baruchel's work, and that's toally ok...but let us not forget the chops of Alice Eve. Thanks to a solid script, Alice Eve's Molly was a very well-rounded character, not just some pretty face. She is INCREDIBLY charismatic and cute, and I was TOTALLY into her, not because of her hotness (which is excessive), but because of her charisma and general like-able-ness. I hope to see her in more stuff.
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I just saw it. I laughed till I stopped. It was cutesy at times. But it did more to bring in well rounded characters then just have stereotypical persona's on the screen. It fleshes out the friends a lot more than romcom's tend to. I like it and I'll try to get my wife to watch it. She doesn't like gross out humor, and that's hardly even in the movie. It's a lot smarter than most movies that have been put out in the last decade. I say see it if you like thoughtful movies. Skip it, if you don't like normal/dweeby guy getting a girl; or that you know it's going to get all to sweet and sticky for you. And it does.
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There were certain jokes that just really clicked and were hilarious. The supporting cast really brought it up from being mediocre to something semi special.
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Maybe it's just me, but me and my friends never really discuss "dicks" very often.
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