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Ruby Sparks2012 | 104 min | R | 1.85:1
As is the way with the glacial pace of Hollywood development, it’s been six years since directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris debuted with “Little Miss Sunshine,” the indie hit that launched a promising career for the filmmaking duo. “Ruby Sparks” is their long-awaited follow-up, and while it doesn’t sing like “Sunshine,” it’s a fascinating look at the possibility of mental illness as a form of personal comfort. Best when rough around the edges, the movie holds great potential for an almost bitter exploration of writer’s block and magical realism, although the helmers don’t know when to let go of the story. Regardless of the picture’s habitual display of stumbling, it’s nice to have Faris and Dayton working again, furthering their interest in shattered characters and strange situations. 
Having written a best-selling book in his late teens, Calvin (Paul Dano) has spent the last decade trying to match that success, only to find himself horribly blocked, working through the neuroses of his life with help from a therapist (Elliot Gould). Dreaming of a mystery woman named Ruby, Calvin finally breaks through his artistic constipation, typing up a personal tale of love, reigniting his creative drive. However, when Ruby (Zoe Kazan) appears in real life, Calvin doesn’t trust the fantasy. Coming to the realization that his passionate writing has worked his desires into flesh and blood, Calvin is overjoyed with the opportunity to revel in Ruby’s unconditional love, reassured to discover family members (including Chris Messina, Annette Bening, and Antonio Banderas) are able to interact with the dream girl as well. While riding a wave of relationship bliss, Calvin also comprehends that he can control Ruby with his writing, tempting him to alter the relationship to fit his needs once his lover begins to develop a life of her own. Written by star Kazan (her first screenplay), “Ruby Sparks” is an especially twitchy motion picture. It’s practically a valentine to control freaks, highlighting Calvin’s increasing leaps of manipulation once fully cognizant of his puppeteer skills while sitting in front of his trusty typewriter. It’s a dark movie, though Faris and Dayton manage to push away the inherent menace of the premise by directly concentrating on Calvin’s nervous responses to the wizardry before him. It’s a leisurely feature, embracing the mystery of Ruby as she pops into Calvin’s life unannounced, studying the reactions of the novelist as he processes this sudden manifestation of his loneliness. Early scenes play the introduction lightly, yet maintain a pronounced anxiety, with Calvin unable to trust his creation, out of fear he’s finally fallen into insanity after a spoiled relationship with a burgeoning author and year battling his own creative blockage. 
In some ways, “Ruby Sparks” is a love story, but not necessarily between two people. While Ruby made real by Calvin’s words, it’s ultimately a story of personal control and recovery taking an unusual turn. Kazan mines the comedy and pathos of the pairing, but finds more dramatically fertile ground fixating on the Calvin’s arc of enlightenment, observing the author feeling the depths of this relationship once Ruby begins to question her seclusion, confronting the creator with old habits of jealousy and selfishness that disrupt the idealism of his doll-like creation. Romantic realism begins to creep into the situation, and Calvin won’t stand for it, creating new narratives for Ruby that disrupts her initial programming. Bringing this complexity to life is Dano in one of his best performances, perfectly embodying a fussy type who invents his own happiness. It’s a terrific performance, matched well by Kazan, who convincingly plays the rainbow of responses as Ruby is altered into a manic creature possessing volcanic highs and lows, with Calvin soon losing perspective as troubles mount. 
“Ruby Sparks” is overlong and overindulgent, especially in the finale, which carries a tornado of revelations that drags on for longer than it should. Points of destruction and control are made, yet stripped of their lasting effect, while Kazan dreams up a pat ending to a charmingly uncomfortable movie. While it crumbles in the end, Faris and Dayton have created a believably eccentric fantasy rooted in human behavior, working diligently to lure and crush the viewer while maintaining a spare atmosphere, handed lift by Nick Urata’s lovely score. It’s a twisted picture, though one that doesn’t immediately announce itself, developing a impenetrability about Ruby and Calvin that stings as much as it baffles. Starring: Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Chris Messina, Aasif Mandvi Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris » See full cast & crew |
 
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