SA Book & Challenge Lovers discussion

This is the discussion thread for the movie Ruby Sparks, directed by the husband-wife team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (who also made Little Miss Sunshine) and starring real-life couple Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan.

We'll be doing a group watch and discussion on Sunday 9 June in the afternoon, but you're welcome to watch and comment at any time.

Enjoy!

I watched this during the week as I will be busy on the weekend and was stuck in bed anyway.

I will admit that I didn't really enjoy it much, not that there was anything wrong with the movie, but it is basically a romance story and they never grip my attention very well anyway. I really liked the concept behind the story but then it was all about their relationship and I got bored...

I don't like romance either; I find them cheesy and unrealistic in a way that's annoying and really boring (cheesy and unrealistic action or horror movies are more fun :)

But I found Ruby Sparks to be more like 500 Days of Summer (one of the few romances I love) in that it's more realistic about their relationship and Calvin's expectations. I thought the psychology of the characters was really interesting and that drove the movie for me.

I haven't seen 500 Days of Summer so can't comment on that. Psychology doesn't really interest me either and I think I look for more fantasy side of things from movies so being realistic doesn't endure a movie to me much. Give me something like the Hobbit full of mythical creatures that I can escape into any day!

Ah, ok, then this isn't the movie for you! The fantasy is never explained and only briefly questioned. It's just a vehicle for a character-based story.

Yeah, enjoy watching everyone!

Starting now...

I want Calvin's house.

OK, I do find it weird that his fantasy girl doesn't read a lot of fiction.

I think Ruby would annoy the crap out of me. She's fine in the movie, but she's such a kooky hipster.

Harry's such a jock but I like the speech he gives Calvin starting with "Quirky messy women whose problems make them endearing aren't real." Despite the jock-ness, he's got a surprisingly realistic understanding of women.

Also love his quote "I love Susie, but she's a weirdo."

The look on his face when he first sees her :)

He should have written "I'm sorry" on that post-it near the end.

I thought Ruby was fine I can deal with kooky but I hate Calvin. At no point did I like him not in the beginning because he came across like a wannabe Woody Allen and not really at the end either because as you said Lauren, he never even said sorry!

I could however appreciate the psychology behind this movie and while I didn't really like this one I must admit that my 2 favorite romantic movies are very realistic. One as you know is 500 days of summer and the other is The Rebound. Which I don't know if anybody ever bothered to see but i really liked it. Hmm maybe we can watch that next time if no one has any other ideas??

That was such an awesome movie! I love the actor that portrays Calvin, he always has this villain feel. And where he tells her that he created her it becomes a real horror movie for a few mins there.

He should have said sorry!

And was that Antonio Banderas?

@Lauren: I thought Calvin was sweet, in nerdy kind of way, but he's pretty pathetic. As Ruby points out, he doesn't have any friends. he just wants her to fulfil his ridiculous fantasy of being the only person he needs (while he, in turn, is the only person she needs to be happy). Also, I can't really hate him because he's a brilliant writer and I kind of want to be him (without the relationship problems).
I haven't seen the Rebound, and I won't be able to watch it either since I have no way of getting it.

@Lu: Yes, I like how creepy it becomes for a short while. I like that he didn't exploit her sexually before that though. That would have been too obvious, the kind of thing his jock brother would have done.
Lol, Antonio Banderas was such a hippy :) I loved his character though. Anette Benning's too. Like Ruby, I think they would actually annoy me in real life, but in the movie they were the perfect contrast to Calvin's uptight behaviour, and their house was SO BEAUTIFUL.

Lu that was my favorite part, when he went all crazy for a while... I was like - Ha! I knew he was a creeper!!
I wonder if I would have liked this movie more if I could have gotten past my instant dislike of Calvin?

I have always liked the actor, since: Taking Lives. It was awesome! I think we should watch it some time :)

Who was he in Taking Lives? I only remember Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke. Was had a baddie? Maybe that's why I instantly distrusted him? To be honest the only thing I remember about that movie is the sex scene. Lol!

He was also in Looper and Little Miss Sunshine.

Oh was he the guy that got chopped up? That was creepy!

Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Who was he in Taking Lives? I only remember Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke. Was had a baddie? Maybe that's why I instantly distrusted him? To be honest the only thing I remember about that movie is..."

He was the badie as a child :nod:

Lu (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Lauren (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Who was he in Taking Lives? I only remember Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke. Was had a baddie? Maybe that's why I instantly distrusted him? To be honest the only thing..."

Hmm I think I am going to have to re-watch that one, although I think I have remembered who the actual baddie is. But I also have a mental picture of why he is so creepy. It's the last scene where he kills the hitch hiker right??!!

Yea that is the one!
Now don't give anymore away, I have been meaning to re-watch it and I think the group might enjoy the thriller :)

I'm in to watch it and at least now I know why he gives me the heeby jeebies :D

I can't believe I haven't watched 500 Days of Summer yet. I should make it a priority, :)

I cheated a little and watched Ruby Sparks last week. I couldn't find anything about Calvin to like and found Ruby quite annoying. Calvin's idea of Ruby, his perfect girl, with her only needing him and nothing else in her life - just watching that depressed me some, because I've been in a relationship with someone like that.

The few minutes of creepiness was brilliant though! I thought the movie would be more "weird" than it was. A little disappointed about that.

You should definitely watch 500 Days of Summer! It's better than Ruby Sparks :) We can do a buddy-watch of that too, since Lauren F also loves it.

The first time I watched it was when it came out and I was shocked that they showed it in Addis. The annoying thing was that a lot of people in the cinema kept laughing at inappropriate moments, including the creepy bit at the end! It was only when he started making her do that red-shoe dance that they seemed to realise it was creepy and shut up.

Language barrier? maybe or just some sort of warped culturally different idea of humor? Every now and then i go to the movies at an odd time of day and there is someone laughing inappropriately and i think to myself this weird behavior is probably why they can watch movies at 10am on a Tuesday :)

Maybe a personal joke? When Lauren and I see Iron Man we giggle

I think it comes from only watching emotionally simplistic blockbusters, so they don't take anything seriously. I once went to a crappy cinema in SA to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I was surprised it was showing there, because this cinema only showed the most mainstream of mainstream film. And the audience laughed all the way through, every time there was a suggestion of sex or an emotional moment.

Addis doesn't have an arthouse circuit, they almost only show blockbusters when it comes to international film, and although I can't say much about their own movies, from the posters it looks like rom coms and action movies that imitate American blockbusters.

Lu (Sugar & Snark) wrote: "Maybe a personal joke? When Lauren and I see Iron Man we giggle"

Lol, but Iron Man is intentionally funny. And pretty stupid even when it's meant to be serious.

I don't now if you remember the movie Mrs Henderson Presents, it was a art house movie with Judy Dench set in WW2 well someone recommended it to me saying it was so funny and that the whole theater was rolling in the isles. Turns out there is was actually really only one funny part and everyone was killed in the end. It was still really good but really more of a tear jerker!
Ps Lu and i are usually giggling like teenagers because we think RDJ is dreamy :)

Iron Man and The Avengers would be pretty lame if not for Robert Downey Jr. Do you remember him in Ally McBeal?