Hollywood Product: She's Out of My League
Rom-com a la Judd Apatow scores big laughs
GENRE: À la Judd Apatow
THE PITCH: Gangly, mumbly TSA agent and aspiring pilot Kirk (Jay Baruchel) leads a humiliating life as a "hard 5." He's the family punching bag – literally and figuratively. His ex-girlfriend, Marnie (Lindsay Sloane), even lives at his parents' house with her new boyfriend, Ron (Hayes MacArthur). When "perfect 10" Molly (Alice Eve) shows an interest in Kirk, his band of airport-working brothers try to help him seal the deal. Sounds pat, but it's actually funny.
MONEY SHOTS: Kirk, Stainer (T.J. Miller), Jack (Mike Vogel), and Devon (Nate Torrence) ride around in circles on the baggage claim belt. Kirk's brother Dylan (Kyle Bornheimer) pegs him with a ball from the pool. Kirk and Dylan play a game called Slapshot Regatta in the basement. An especially revealing dude-on-dude pre-date male grooming session.
BEST LINES: "You don't want to go to the moon? BULLSHIT!" says Stainer after Kirk asserts that the chances of Molly wanting to date him are as good as him making a lunar voyage. Ron's always referring to Kirk as "pirate." Man on plane: "You're not supposed to talk on your phone – it interferes with the plane." Patty (Krysten Ritter): "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you a plane doctor? No? Then shut the fuck up." MOP: Presses flight attendant button "She's talking on the phone." Patty: "Dude, go shit in your hand."
DICK-TIONARY: Jack: "Do you know what your problem is Kirk? You're a moodle ... a man-poodle. Girls, they wanna take you out on a walk, they wanna feed you, they wanna cuddle you, but no girl wants to do the moodle." Kirk tries to impress Marnie by telling her he's been "raw-doggin' some randoms" in the two years since they broke up.
FLESH FACTOR: Plenty of Molly cleavage, including a shot of her and Kirk (so pale!) in their skivvies. Marnie wears a ridiculous magenta bathing suit with a midsection that strongly resembles a hammock.
PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Molly leaves her iPhone at airport security. Ron eats Tostitos while looking on as Kirk tries to win back Marnie with a picture frame/jewelry box. ("You can keep your earrings in it.") Kirk's the proud owner of a Dodge Neon. Devon has "like 34 friends" on Facebook.
HEY, WAIT A MINUTE: Why is Molly speaking French to a waiter at a restaurant in Pittsburgh? Devon makes a startling number of references to animated Disney features including Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast, but particularly Aladdin.
BOTTOM LINE: Director Jim Field Smith and co-writers Sean Anders and John Morris (who also co-wrote with Josh Heald the screenplay for the upcoming Hot Tub Time Machine) deliver a raunchy and hilarious rom-com. Baruchel and Eve are OK as the mismatched couple, but the cast's razor-sharp wit and comedic timing turn what could have been a hard 5 into a stunner with a sense of humor.