Movies: Average Joe dating perfect girls makes for great comedy
She's Out of My League' could be year's surprise hit
"She's Out of My League" is one of those outrageous comedies that by all rights shouldn't work. The premise a nearly perfect girl falls for a regular guy is a stretch even for a movie. There's no A-list or even B-list stars headlining the film, and unlike last year's smash hit, "The Hangover," there's no shocking cameo appearance, say "Iron" Mike Tyson air drumming to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."
No, "She's Out of My League" succeeds because it strips all the fancy bells and gimmicks of most Hollywood comedies and just keeps you laughing from the opening credits to the end.
Kirk (Jay Baruchel, "Tropic Thunder") works the security gate at the airport and while he dreams of one day being a pilot, for now he is content with trying to reunite with his ex, Marnie (Lindsey Sloane, "Over Her Dead Body").
Marnie has long since moved on and is dating someone else, but likes Kirk's family so much she's planning to take her new guy on Kirk's family vacation.
During a routine day, Kirk finds a phone belonging to Molly, (Alice Eve, "Crossing Over"), a beautiful event planner who is so grateful when he returns it and oddly charmed by his self-deprecating demeanor that she asks him out.
It takes Kirk awhile to fathom that Molly actually likes him, but the news is even more surprising to his friends Stainer (T.J. Miller, whose first-person accounts of the madness in "Cloverfield" made that film so entertaining), Jack (Mike Vogel, "Cloverfield") and Devon (Nate Torrence, "Get Smart").
Kirk's interaction with his friends is perhaps the film's strongest point. Miller stands out, as Stainer is hilariously obnoxious detailing how a 10 such as Molly could go for Kirk, a 5 at best. And soon, Kirk begins to wonder why a woman as seemingly perfect as Molly would want to be with him.
Baruchel is a great, unassuming lead, hunching over and carrying his character to show he has little confidence at all, especially when it comes to Molly.
The script by Sean Anders and John Morris, who previously teamed on the underrated "Sex Drive," is surprisingly smart and for the most part, avoids falling into the typical pratfalls of the romantic comedy genre. Their characters experience real insecurities and while they find themselves in awkward positions, such as Kirk being mistaken for a waiter at a fancy restaurant, the comedy flows naturally and doesn't seem like Anders and Morris are trying too hard to be funny.
On the comedy scale, it's pretty adult humor the bathroom shaving scene has to be seen to be believed as words just don't do it justice but there's nothing completely offensive. Director Jim Field Smith ("Where Have I Been All Your Life?") has great timing in terms of how long to let a joke play out and perfectly captures every awkward moment.
Being a romantic comedy, albeit a bit more raunchy than the norm, "League" only stumbles with the cliché couple misunderstanding/break-up. That slight misstep aside, this is a tremendously funny film and could be this year's "Hangover," an unexpected breakout hit.
She's out of my league
R, comedy, 105 minutes
Director: Jim Field Smith
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter and Lindsay Sloane
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars