They say that with great literature the words come alive on the page, but what if this actually happened? That the figment of your imagination became reality? This is the premise for Ruby Sparks, a love story with an inventive premise but one that’s portrayal of relationships feels very real.
Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is a write, whom at the age of 19 wrote a seminal bestselling novel, which he now lives in the shadow of. Struggling with ‘second album’ syndrome, Calvin has writers block and his life is insular, lonely and he finds it hard to meet people, only spending time with his dog Scotty, his brother Harry ( Chris Messina) and his therapist Dr Rosenthal (Elliot Gould). Calvin begins to dream about a girl and, set with an assignment by Dr Rosenthal, to write something ‘bad’ he begins to pen a love story between Ruby (Zoe Kazan), literally the girl of his dreams, and himself. But the lines between reality become blurred and as Calvin spends more and more time in his imaginative world, the hint that Ruby is more than words on a page come to a head when she appears one morning in his kitchen, making breakfast as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. For Ruby, it is, as she believes she is simply his girlfriend and once a frantic, bewildered Calvin realises that he is not completely delusional and that everyone can see Ruby, he begins to relish the chance to have a relationship with the girl he wished for.
Initially Calvin decides to no longer write about himself and Ruby and just enjoy the miracle he has created but as Ruby starts to become her own person and develop from the pages that she originated from, Calvin worries she may grow too far away from him and through fear of abandonment, he is faced with the morality of returning to his typewriter to keep his dream girl to himself.
Ruby Sparks is a problematic film, it wants us to sympathise with an unlikely male lead who manipulates his girlfriend’s behaviour and the films initial premise would make us believe it is a quirky fun take on the romantic comedy. But whilst Ruby is this, it also takes us to a more painful, sometimes darker place and in doing so becomes all the better for it, and most importantly, a more honest reflection of love. After all whether directly or subconsciously are we not prone to trying to change our partner’s behaviour or traits when it does not fit with our preconceived notions? Or when the threat that a loved one may be pulling away from us, would we not become desperate in our need to hold on to them, even if momentarily we ignore their own happiness?
Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ previous film Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dealt with dysfunctional families and now they turn their eye to the tangled pitfalls of relationships and the danger of reducing the idolised to an object. Though the film dips its toes in the malaise, the direction is kept punchy and is filled with a warm colour palette that enhances the dreamlike notion of the situation, save for one distressing scene where Ruby is goaded by Calvin with the truth about her identity.
Paul Dano is perfectly cast as Calvin, intelligent but fragile, able to turn cruel in a panic but then instantly regret his actions and revert to wounded puppy anxiety. Zoe Kazan who co wrote the screenplay, manages to be the dream girl without being the stereotypical dream girl, she is fun and flirty but also retains complexities that make girls like her damn intriguing. And of course, she wears coloured tights, every kooky girl wears coloured tights (that being said I am partial to coloured hosiery myself).
The final act of the film recalls Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) with the ponderous questions it raises. If you were given a second chance at love, knowing it may turn out sour in the end, would you do it? Or would you learn by your mistakes and be able to make it better the next time around? Or would you accept that nothing lasts forever and the crushing normality of domesticity eventually takes the ‘spark’ out of any relationship.
Ruby Sparks can be seen as a cautionary tale of modern love or it can simply be appreciated for providing a beautifully crafted, unique romantic story. Which ever way you look at it, is up to your own imagination.
