Movie Review: Ruby Sparks

"One may read this and think it's magic...but falling in love is an act of magic. So is writing. It was once said of Catcher in the Rye: 'that rave miracle of fiction has again come to pass. A human being has been created out of ink, paper, and imagination.' I am no JD Salinger...but I have witnessed a rare miracle. Any writer can attest in the luckiest, the happiest state the words are not coming from you, but through you. She came to me wholly herself, I was just lucky enough to be there to catch her."  

(The Girlfrend, Calvin Weir-Fields)

"This is true and impossible story of my very great love. In the hope she will not read this and reproach me. I have withheld many telling details. Her name, the particular of her birth and upbringin and any identifying scars or birthmarks. All the same, I can not help but write this for her. To tell her: 'I am sorry for every word I wrote to change you. I am sorry for so many things. I could't sse you when you were here, and now that you're gone, I can see you everywhere." 

(Ruby Sparks, 45:27)

So, here I am, having a trouble to sleep, and decided to write movie semi-review. Ruby Sparks brought to you by the directors of LITTE MISS SUNSHINE. Classified as a drama comedy film that could simply brighten up your day and make you smile. Starring Paul Dano as Calvin Weir-Fields, Zoe Kazan as Ruby, Chris Messina as Harry, and Antonio Banderas as Mort. To begin, I scored this movie 9.5/10 and put this movie as the best drama I've ever seen after Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind and The Notebook. It's that good. Indeed. Put a little attention on the details and watch it more than once, then you gonna find many scenes that could be explained further than you've imagined.

The movie is about a young novelist, Calvin Weir-Fields. He is succeed publishing his novel and be famous in early 20's of his life time. Story begins when Calvin dream about a girl and then write a story about her. But this girl, who's invented by Calvin himself, came up and living in reality as Calvin's girlfriend - like what he write in his story. Ruby, a young, beutiful, suprising girl who acts impulsively, and always search anything new in life that may be suprised her. The acting of Zoe Kazan is heartwarmingly awesome, when she acting to be puppeted by Calvin, how fluent she speaking french, and not forget to mention - how effortlesly beutiful she is in every outfit.

One thing I noticed that I started falling in love with this movie when a scene Calvin mentioned that he loves F.Scott Fitzgerald as the reason why he named his dog Scotty. And then Ruby defended him by saying that it's disrespecful to give the great author name to a dog and calling him "bad scotty" when it did something bad; it just comes out to be a selfish reason to put your favorite author to a flesh. As my obsessive compulsive taking me, I always love anything in a movie or whatever that relates to The Great Gatsby, quoted from Norwegian Wood: "Any friend of Gatsby is a friend of mine," so it happened that Calvin Weir-Fields and I are designed to be friend. Yes, it happened to be so, the idea of Calvin in my eyes.

It does not stop there, every sayings in this movie constantly driving me deeper than any movie. Even it is told with a simple plot: Calvin made Ruby, they're dating, it didn't work out,... yes, you can easily chop off the story, but the conversation, the details, the soundtrack are in the perfect composition I daresay.

R: "What did you think the first time you saw me?"
C: I thought you were the most beautiful girl I ever saw."
R: "Were you dissapointed when you got to know me?"
C: "How can you ask that?"
R: "I'm such a mess."
C: "I love your mess."
R: "The first time I saw you, I thought: look at that boy. I'm going to love him forever and ever and ever."
C: "What if you get sick of me?"
R: "I won't. I promise."

(while playing Holden's song; Une Fraction de Seconde)

I try to go further, this movie is a fiction but it happened in a real life though. There are realtextuality* that may happen in reality. How Calvin created his dream girl, it happened to every normal person. We have this idea, this image of perfect man/woman that we'd to be with. In some case, we find them. But, sadly even after we've found them; we forget to give attention to details and it failed us that life could be so bad to us if we're not giving thanks. So that arrive next, how Calvin and Ruby need some 'space' in their relationship, because without 'distance' they'll be like the same person. Every couple will experience this stage. When both of you need space and then one of you will conspire to make him/her happy, even have to do the wrongs. You desire them to be happy as they consuming any kind of prozac. So there it is... the end of the relationship, when the girl of your dream ended up got manipulated by yourself - you can't even divided the truth. Yes, and at that moment - when Calvin feels intiminated by Ruby, he could be so cruel, telling Ruby that she's a creation of his imagination, that he could make Ruby do anything that he wants... yes, we're happened to do the same. And in the end, Calvin release Ruby free... signs that it is the stop. Oh yes, we end our relationship, either when we are get hurted or we realize that we hurting someone that bad.

C: "I have you. I don't need anyone else."
R: "That is a lot of pressure. I'm so lonely."

Isn't it amazing? It's not just a song that represents your situation, when you could be so lonely when you are with your loved ones? It explains a lot, the pressure that we have to take to be with someone without the existence of the other - yes it is loneliness that we should carry on. It is sad and relieving in happy context at the same time.

When it comes to a film, it's more stupid when you see yourself through one of the character. How you used to write to realease your nerves to specific person. Bless the writer because they can write everything they feel without getting overwhelmed about the story. People won't give a shit. Even if they do, they gonna think your story is just a fiction, your book is not real, you're just making that up. Yes, this movie taught me a lot. Hope it works the same with you.

I end it with a similar question that dropped also by Harry:
"Would it be mind-cest if I fell in love with a man that comes from the creation of my imagination?"