Ruby Sparks

Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

(R)

***

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This romantic comedy from the directors of Little Miss Sunshine won’t be mistaken for a masterpiece, but it is a “messy, mushy delight,” said Roger Moore in The Kansas City Star. By adding a substantial dose of fantasy to the typical rom-com, writer and co-star Zoe Kazan has arguably created “the great romantic gem of the summer.” Paul Dano stars as a young novelist with writer��s block and romantic troubles until a quirky dream girl he’s invented materializes as a real-life love interest, played by Kazan. The premise creates “a cake-and-eat-it-too critique” of male fantasies, said David Fear in Time Out New York. The movie gets to ridicule them and indulge them at the same time, especially once Dano’s character realizes he can control Kazan’s behavior. Audiences will end up wishing that Ruby would break free of her creator’s imagination, said Justin Chang in Variety. Instead, the picture “keeps her in her place, right down to its sweet, mildly self-congratulatory ending.” Dano proves to be “compelling company,” and Kazan’s “vivacious performance” has just enough anger in it that Ruby Sparks leaves a few marks.