Ruby Sparks

Ruby Sparks looked great and it was fun to watch, even though I didn't like Ruby. Nothing exploded and no one died, which was nice for a change.

I know what you're thinking: Paul Dano again? How many movies has this guy been in? I don't know, because this is the last one I know of. Not that I watched it just because he was in it; it just seemed like an interesting movie. He doesn't play the Looper-style character I'm into in this one, anyway. In fact, it's kind of hard to get used to his aesthetics here, but I managed to do it after a while.

Calvin was a lot like me, in terms of being serious, controlling, introverted, boring, etc. Unlike Calvin, I did not like Ruby. Part of it was her face. It was really weird. Zoe's so skinny, but she has this weird chipmunk fat face. She was kind of like the girl in Eternal Sunshine. Too kooky for me.

Ruby was right about relationships needing space, though. You've got to stay your own person, on both sides. Calvin should've accepted that. The movie was beautifully shot. I loved Calvin's living space, and his mom's was beautiful, too. Antonio Banderas was a fun surprise. Maybe my favorite part of the movie. He was a good guy. He and Calvin's mom seemed happy together.

Scotty was really ugly. If Calvin wanted a dog that girls would be attracted to, he should've gotten a better-looking one. I thought it was totally logical that Ruby would be attracted to Calvin's agent. She goes for older guys, and it never really felt like what she had going with Calvin was that serious, even though she lived with him. I'm glad she stopped wearing the tights. It was driving me crazy how much I didn't like them. Her hair looked much better after she cut it, too.

I loved it when Calvin wrote Ruby as miserable without him, and she wouldn't let go of him. It's interesting that it was totally stifling, but he didn't change it until she had a breakdown. You really can't "fix" someone and put them back to normal once you start dictating what they're going to be like. I could tell when he wrote "exuberant joy" that wasn't going to be pretty. And then he wrote that she just felt what she felt, and she was too impulsive, acting on every feeling.

It was really creepy when he started controlling her right in front of him, making her do crazy things. A little depraved. It started to feel like a horror movie. I guess he just really hadn't accepted her as an actual person. It was nice that he decided to set her free. He couldn't really do anything else, though. I felt for him when she was gone.

The ending was too ambiguous for me. It's good that they get a fresh start. I think he can see her as her own person now. Maybe it'll be like with Harry; Susie left once, and he appreciated her that much more when she came back. But we don't know if they'll date, or if it will work out. I guess they're just trying to leave some mystery to it, but for me it felt like an incomplete story. A copout to write it that way. And what about his family, if he starts dating her again? They'll be all like "Oh, you got back together," and she won't remember any of it. How would that work?

There were a lot of parts that were awkward, uncomfortable, and didn't work. I never liked Ruby. The ending was unsatisfying. But it was still interesting, and I'm glad I saw it. It was nice to have a light-hearted movie, with no action or intrigue.