She's Out of My League - Alice Eve and Jay Baruchel
“She’s Out of My League” is one of those flicks that will give you a goofy grin throughout. It is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy with some raunch thrown in for good measure.
Kirk (Jay Baruchel) is your typical average looking guy. He works security at the airport and has low self esteem issues. His view of himself is so low that he is making a play to get back with his horrible ex-girlfriend Marnie (Lindsay Sloane). Marnie is so loathsome that she still hangs around Kirk’s house with her new boyfriend even after she had dumped Kirk.
Kirk’s friends Stainer (T.J. Miller), Jack (Mike Vogel) and Devon (Nate Torrence) are not wild about him getting back together with Marnie. They know how shabbily she treated him. Fate though has a way of changing things. Kirk rescues Molly (Alice Eve) from the clutches of his lecherous coworkers. Molly is a woman where everyone stops and stares at her beauty. She is treated more favorably and has a rich charmed life.
Molly rewards Kirk’s chivalry by inviting him to an art exhibit. Molly is an event planner who is getting over a bad breakup with a handsome pilot. Molly sees Kirk as a safe choice and a person who would be nice to her and not hurt her. Kirk is wondering all along what she sees in him. It is the whole opposites attract dilemma.
Director Jim Field Smith and screenwriters Sean Anders and John Morris have created a zany world with interesting characters. The movie is made much richer with the supporting characters. Stainer looks like Napoleon Dynamite and acts like Stifler from the “American Pie” movies. He starts up a fascinating conversation where he says Kirk is a 5 and Molly is a 10. According to him, it goes against all laws of nature that she would be attracted to him. Only if he was in the entertainment business would it work. The other friends pretty much agree with the assessment. Stainer also fronts a Hall and Oates cover band called Adult Education. How rich is that.
Kirk’s brother Dylan (Kyle Bornheimer) is also a funny character. He constantly torments Kirk, while being cheered on by his fiancée. Dylan is one of those people who always say what is on his mind no matter how rude or unbecoming it is. Molly’s friend Patty (Krysten Ritter) is similar in this way. She’s forward and very protective of her friend. Patty is a character that is lovable in a way that you can’t understand.
With this being an r-rated film, you just know there will be some bawdy scenes. The filmmakers don’t disappoint in this area. Two scenes stand out. I won’t give too much away, but they are similar to scenes that appeared in “There’s Something About Mary” and “American Wedding”. Anders and Morris though do a good job putting a different spin on the scenarios to make them fresh and not just a copycat.
“She’s Out of My League” is an unconventional romantic comedy that throws quite a bit of material against the wall to see what sticks. Most of it does work and the movie is a pleasant surprise.
