Alice Eve and Jay Baruchel in "She's Out of My League"
courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment
“A Major League Comedy”

There’s a sweet romantic comedy out on DVD this week titled “She’s Out Of My League.” It is about a nerdy guy and an angel of a girl. She’s a ten and he’s a five (that is being generous) and supposedly never the twain shall meet. However in this film she is able to see the heart beneath his exterior and geeks around the world are throwing victory celebrations. The only problem is the profane and crude way in which the story is presented.

Kirk (Jay Baruchel) is a high school graduate who never got to go to college. He has settled for being an employee of the Transportation Safety Office. One day he meets a passenger named Molly (Alice Eve) who is stunningly beautiful. Through a series of events he helps her out and she in return asks him on a date. His three closest friends tell him to forget it but she seems sincere and he is head over heels for her.

The film follows their relationship and explores the reasons why a love affair between a beautiful girl and a nerdy guy wouldn’t work, except theirs does. The comedy comes from Kirk’s friends banter about why he should run away from Molly and settle for someone in his league.

Stainer (T J Miler), Jack (Mike Vogel), and Devon (Nate Torrance) are Kirk’s closest friends and they form a Greek chorus of sorts to chant why Kirk will never get Molly. Each of these characters gets a chance to shine in his relationship with Kirk. 

The problem with the film is its attempt to be a Jud Apatow type comedy with all the profanity abounding and the crude sex jokes being smirkingly delivered. It just doesn’t work here and in fact works against the success of the film. Each crude sex scene grates jarringly against the sweet tone of the film, and the excessive use of profanity doesn’t come off as natural for some of the characters.

Baruchel is excellent as the underweight and under confident Kirk. He gives his character just the right amount of humility and charm. Because he is so loveable in the role we can see how a girl like Molly could fall for Kirk. Alice Eve is also good as Molly, making her more than her exterior. Eve projects humor, warmth and vulnerability which are exactly the traits Molly needs to possess.

Nate Torrance is a standout as Kirk’s slightly rotund buddy. He projects a naiveté that should be off putting but instead is endearing. Geoff Stults is perfectly cast as the all American flyboy who is Kirk’s main competition.

“She’s Out of My League” is a romantic comedy that should appeal to viewers across the board, but the excessive profanity and sex will turn a good portion of them off, and that’s a shame. Still the film is funny and heartfelt and should do wonders for the careers of both Baruchel and Eve.

Baruchel is no Robert Pattinson and never pretends to be. They each have their own careers going. Pattinson rose to fame as the star of the two “Twilight” movies. Those films highlighted his looks but not his acting talents. He gets a chance to display these skills the new film on DVD “Remember Me.” His co-star in this movie is “Lost” participant Emilie de Raven.

In this movie Pattinson plays a twenty-one year old man named Tyler. Tyler has a lot of conflict in his life caused by the death of an older brother, the divorce of his parents, and his responsibilities to his younger sister. He lives with a roommate named Aiden (Tate Ellington) and audits college courses.

Through a series of events he meets a young woman named Ally (de Ravin) and they begin seeing each other. Ally has her own set of problems as her mother was murdered right in front of her eyes in a subway mugging ten years previously. This loss has caused her father (Chris Cooper) to be overly protective.

Ally immediately fits in with Tyler’s family. His mother (Lena Olin, stepfather (Gregory Jbarra) and sister (Ruby Jerins) welcome her with open arms primarily on the premise that if she is good for Tyler she is good for them. Ally tries to help Tyler with his relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) but it remains difficult.

The most important and fascinating part of the film is that you believe these characters are who they profess to be. There is not one false note struck among them. Plus this is one of the most romantic movies, in a dramatic way, that has been offered by Hollywood in some time.

Pattinson is totally impressive as Tyler. He has a brooding restlessness about him that should add even more screaming girls to his legion of fans. Plus this role should lead to more offers of serious parts coming his way. Opposite him de Ravin kicks aside her mannerisms from Claire on “Lost” and creates a totally new character. Ally has depth and demons just like Tyler and de Ravin brings every one to the surface.

Olin is vulnerable as Tyler’s mother while Ellington is only mildly annoying as Aiden, a role that was written to be annoying. Cooper seethes with intensity as Ally’s father while Brosnan is icily businesslike as Tyler’s father. It is his best role in years and manages to wipe out some of the bad memories of his performances in “Mama Mia!” and “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”

Giving Pattinson and de Ravin a run for their money in the best acting contest is Jerins. She makes her role as Caroline the heart of the movie. She is quietly sad and emotionally tender. She is also fascinating to watch. There should be big roles ahead for this talented young actress.

There is a twist at the end of this film which some have found to be interesting and appropriate while others have found it offensive. I thought it was a very fitting way to end the movie.

“Remember Me” is a movie I will remember and I think you will too. It certainly heralds new aspects to the acting careers of Pattinson and de Ravin, and it introduces a star of tomorrow in Ruby Jerins.”

Then there is “Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season.” For those of you who do not subscribe to HBO this is your chance to see the series that turns the world of Hollywood inside out. In this package you get twelve episodes of the series plus commentaries from the cast and crew. They tell you what all was going on behind the scenes while these episodes were being shot.

Adam Grenier plays Vince Chase, the character at the center of the action; but it is his “entourage” that makes the show work. That set includes Turtle (Jerry Ferrara), Drama (Kevin Dillon), Eric (Kevin Connelly) and Ari (Jeremy Piven). Females in the cast this season include Debi Mazur, Carla Gugino, Beverly D’Angelo and Emmanuelle Chriqui. That is a load of talent and they all make it worth watching

For a show that is a little bit different but still entertains, watch “Entourage: The Complete Sixth Season.” 
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

Click above to find out more about Jackie's books!