Created by the directors of Little Miss Sunshine (without the adorable Abigail Breslin), Ruby Sparks is about a gifted, yet struggling writer Calvin, whose therapist inspires him to meet the girl of his dreams. What’s peculiar is that Calvin (Paul Dano) meets her because he created Ruby’s character while trying to overcome writer’s block.
Anticipating a multidimensional story about Calvin writing a book within the movie, I figured my Community t-shirt, promoting the most self-referential TV show I could think of, would be highly appropriate attire for the screening. Incidentally, a middle-aged man stopped me during the Free People opening event to ask about the characters arranged in Warhol-inspired fashion. I identified Troy and Abed, and then went to the Varsity.
Without giving too much away, it’s notable that Calvin writes Ruby a Post-it note in a far more charming manner than when Berger leaves one for Carrie in Sex And The City. That’s when I fell in love with Ruby Sparks.
After wondering if the film’s major conflict would arise when Calvin’s handy typewriter eventually broke, I was proven wrong with a wonderful ending reminiscent of (500) Days of Summer, complete with an upgraded tool to write his next works.
Lastly, the minimalist design in Calvin’s home could easily be recreated for the stage, but does Apple sponsor theatre productions too? If you’ve seen Ruby Sparks and want it to become a book and/or play, please discuss in the comments!
UPDATE: Ruby Sparks was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 30 and it’s available from Chapters/Indigo.