She's Out of My League Reviews

At first, it didn't seem to be something that would interest me. But then, since it was a surprise success back then, I thought I should give it a try anyway. Eventually, I really enjoyed it and, as a matter of fact, it is one of the best romantic-comedies I have seen lately. First of all, I have to say that this movie touched me on a personal level. Indeed, 10 years ago, I was a mess and then came this gorgeous lady, 10 years older than me, married to someone else(!) and she simply told me that she fell in love with me and we have been together ever seen. So, there was so many things I recognize in this movie and they got many things right. Futhermore, I thought Jay Baruchel gave a pretty good performance but, on the other hand, Alice Eve didn't have much to do, except looking gorgeous, but the movie was not from her perspective. Of course, it was not a perfect flick and some stuff didn't work very well. For example, the 3 buddys were pretty good but the ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend were both really caricatural and seriously annoying. Furthermore, it remains a rather standard romantic comedy with nothing really mind-blowing and I wish they developed a little more their relationship so that we get to see what happens next. Still, I really liked, it is a  well made romantic comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

This is a bottom-shelf comedy with a few funny jokes, and far too little going on to set it apart from any other forgettable misadventure-romantic comedy about aimless 20-somethings. I know...that sounds cynical or overly critical. But trust me, I really wanted to like this movie.It's just that it simply refused to meet me half-way on anything. Jay Baruchel's performance is merely adaquate, nothing more. And besides, it's the same character we've seen from him since Undeclared all those years ago. It's reached its last wind, and here collapses long before the finish line. Alice Eve, our heroine, doesn't have the chops to carry her end of the bargain either. Fortunately for both of them the script does little to push them toward anything challenging, revealing, or transformational, so neither of them actually fail outright. But what we're left with are two characters that do little to impress to begin with and then refuse to evolve over the course of 100 minutes. Surely, reader, you have something more pressing to do with your time. I know I did.

Kirk (Jay Baruchel) is the not-so-good-looking hero we root for in SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE. Sadly for Kirk, his friends have helpfully informed him that he's only a 5 out of 10 in the attractiveness scale. Interestingly enough, the same rating is appropriate as far as the film's quality is concerned (though I would argue that Baruchel is more in the 6-7 range). This is an undeniably sweet movie, but the laughs are intermittent at best.

The importance of Kirk being a "5" for purposes of the plot is that, for apparently inexplicable reasons, Molly (Alice Eve) shows an interest in him. According to Kirk's friends, Molly is the type of ultra-hot girl who gets a perfect 10/10 score on the attractiveness scale, and for those of us in the audience who can't tell, our introduction to Molly is a montage in which dozens of men of all ages turn their heads as she walks past them.

Much of the film's problems stem from the poor casting of the supporting characters, particularly Kirk's three buddies. Baruchel and Eve would've been able to exhibit far more chemistry if they had a better supporting cast and a sharper script. SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE has moments during which it teeters on cleverness, but then chooses to be safe and immature instead. The best example I can think of that illustrates this is one of the scenes that is meant to be one of the movie's highlights (if so many sex-oriented comedies hadn't covered territory like this before). Kirk and Molly are getting into their first heavy make-out/groping session, and it seems like the session will go even further than that, but of course, Kirk has a, um, "premature accident." Now, the clever part of this scene is the fact that the noise of a jet engine is inserted into the proceedings (which fits perfectly, especially because Kirk works as a TSA employee), but a few seconds later, an unnecessary and borderline disgusting gag with a dog essentially ruins it all. There's also a brilliantly funny moment in which Kirk is on a date with Molly at a restaurant and he's wearing a a red blazer, which makes a long string of people at the restaurant confuse him for a waiter. Sadly, smart moments like that are bogged down with a gross instance of testicle shaving and an unnecessarily childish final chase sequence at the airport.

Jay Baruchel has played some very quirky supporting characters in the past. Unfortunately, in this film, his character is informed in the first scene that his personality type is that of a "moodle" (man poodle), and perhaps following the instructions given to him by the film's director, Baruchel proceeds to act like a "moodle" throughout most of the film, often making googly eyes and not exploiting his comedic chops as much as he could've. However, if you have doubts about whether or not he can carry a movie, I suggest watching I'M REED FISH (which I enjoyed more than a lot of other people did). Alice Eve is asked to embody the persona of your average Miss USA pageant queen, with the constant smile and posture. (Oh, and could they have been a LITTLE more creative in terms of the twist of Molly's big "defect"?)

This is the kind of film that could've accomplished two things at once: it could've been wickedly funny, and it could've explored that mystery that some of us wonder about as to why sometimes people who aren't so attractive end up with a total babe/stud. The film only takes a superficial look at Molly's insecurities but gets scared to go too far, even though it had the potential to go to very interesting places. The plot line of Molly telling half-lies to her parents (pretending to study for the bar exam while actually working as a party planner) is hardly explored, and this gives one the feeling that the film hardly explored some of the potential it had. Deduct five points.

way better than I thought. way better!
I was looking for some dumb comedy, and found a great romantic comedy. one of the best teen romantic comedy. and the best is that it's not girly ... actually I think guys will understand more than girls. at least goofy-nerd-like guys will.

"I don't get it. Why would she ask me out?"

Let's be honest, how often are standard-order romantic comedies anything but appalling? A useful method for evaluating the effectiveness of rom-coms is to ask yourself a few questions: are the protagonists likeable, does the central coupling share convincing chemistry, are you rooting for the leads to get together, and are there quality laughs to be had? If the answer is "yes" across the board, the flick is a success. But alas, the countless rom-coms flooding the cinematic climate these days are too often unable to fulfil even these basic requirements, which is why She's Out of My League is so refreshing - it's not perfect, but one can answer "yes" to all the aforementioned questions, and it achieves precisely what it set out to do. Sure, this may sound like faint praise, but so few rom-coms are able to accomplish even this moderate level of competency that, believe me, this should be considered an endorsement.

The male lead of She's Out of My League, Kirk (Baruchel), is merely an average, geeky guy who works security at a Pittsburgh airport with his best buddies, Stainer (Miller), Jack (Vogel) and Devon (Torrence). During an average day at work, an attractive woman named Molly (Eve) enters Kirk's life. After encountering her while on duty, Kirk inadvertently charms the gorgeous, successful young event planner, and a follow-up meet when Kirk returns Molly's lost iPhone kicks off an unexpected relationship. Problem is, both Stainer and Molly's best friend (Ritter) dismiss the relationship on account of the math, since Kirk is a "5" on the scale of attractiveness while Molly is a "hard 10".

Unfortunately, the entire narrative for She's Out of My League is generic tripe, and seems manufactured for the sake of the demographic of schlubs who'd love to find themselves in Kirk's tantalising situation. In essence, the plot is merely a flimsy excuse to showcase ill-mannered yet amusing best friends, and opportunities for comedy. Once the script by Sean Anders and John Morris (Sex Drive) establishes the routine journey for Kirk, there aren't a lot of surprises to be had, so the film's success was entirely dependent upon the characters and the laughs. Thankfully, the film is frequently hilarious, the characters are fun to be in the company of, and there's plenty of heart. In fact, once the end credits begin to roll, you could be forgiven for wanting to spend more time with these characters. While the film isn't as funny as it could've been, the best set-pieces are absolutely hysterical and there are enough laugh lines to ensure the film is worth seeing. That said, comedy is pretty subjective, so it's bold to proclaim the quality of humour in a motion picture. Therefore, it's better to simply say that if you enjoyed American Pie or Knocked Up or any other films of that ilk, the humour here should satisfy you.

One thing She's Out of My League pulls off surprisingly well is depicting Kirk and Molly's relationship in a credible, convincing fashion. In the past, romanticised Woody Allen movies have provided the typical wish fulfilment scenario of the loser getting a tremendously gorgeous girl for no apparent reason, but the filmmakers behind She's Out of My League attempt to understand the reasoning. The movie works because Molly - amazingly beautiful as she may be - does not come across as a snobby Megan Fox-style female lead. Instead, she's the type of girl who quietly admires a guy for selflessly chasing down a woman who forgot her jacket. It's easy to see why Molly might become interested in the sweet and funny Kirk, especially after it's revealed that she has been hurt in prior relationships with guys at her hotness level. The film also posits problems that arise between the two (as a result of their disparate self-images) which seem perfectly natural and believable. The only major area where the film fails is in the final act which involves a break-up-to-make-up scenario that kills the pacing and culminates at an airport, for crying out loud. In fairness, though, filmmakers can only fend off formula for so long before the producers begin to notice. It's best to appreciate what this film does right, rather than dwelling on its weaker patches.

Over recent years, Jay Baruchel has been relegated to supporting roles in such movies as Fanboys, Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder. She's Out of My League is an evident attempt to launch Baruchel's career as a leading man. He's typically saddled with the character of a nerd/loser, but he's good at it, and he blossoms in this particular role. The charismatic Baruchel does a fine job of expressing Kirk's twitchy awkwardness, and shares tremendous chemistry with Alice Eve, who is sprightly, attractive, and distinctly not bitchy (a breakthrough for the typical attractive female rom-com lead). These wonderful protagonists are luckily surrounded by an effective supporting cast who provide a number of amusing, scene-stealing diversions. T.J. Miller is the standout as Stainer, while Mike Vogel also provides a few hearty giggles (many may recognise these two from 2007's Cloverfield). Meanwhile, Nate Torrence is frequently hysterical as the token "fat friend". And, unlike the agonisingly unfunny Jonah Hill, Torrence is a fat friend who isn't annoying - he's actually funny. Rounding out the cast is Krysten Ritter as Molly's best friend, and she's perfect in the role.

An easy charmer from the school of Judd Apatow, She's Out of My League is generously funny and sporadically heartfelt. Without reinventing the wheel, it manages to provide amiable entertainment for its 100-minute duration. For sure, the film is not as funny as it had the potential to be, but it works as a breezy, fun, unforced story of two mismatched lovers, and the clichéd narrative is at least enjoyable. In the realm of rom-coms, these are the qualities that count the most, so give this film a shot if you're sick and tired of Hollywood's usual output.

7.3/10