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Ruby Sparks

Play trailer Poster for Ruby Sparks R Released Jul 25, 2012 1h 44m Romance Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 182 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Young author Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano), once a literary darling, is having trouble composing his next novel. Following a therapist's advice, Calvin pulls out an old manual typewriter and creates a vivacious, flame-haired woman he dubs Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). Overnight, Ruby leaps from the page into Calvin's home as a real flesh-and-blood woman. And, what's more, she's unaware that she's actually a fictional character and that her actions and feelings are dictated by whatever Calvin writes.
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Ruby Sparks

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Critics Consensus

Cleverly written and wonderfully acted, Ruby Sparks overcomes its occasional lags in pace with an abundance of charm and wit.

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Critics Reviews

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Elizabeth Weitzman New York Daily News Sometimes it's worth surrendering to cinematic enchantments, and Ruby Sparks makes a pretty good case for its own magic. Rated: 3/5 Jan 8, 2013 Full Review Linda Barnard Toronto Star Sure it's been done before -- man brings ideal woman to life -- but not quite like Ruby Sparks. And that sets this film up to be a smart and romantic low-key comedy that goes beyond expectations. Rated: 3/4 Jan 8, 2013 Full Review Justin Chang Variety If the result feels like a Pinocchio story that spends too much time with Geppetto, or a takedown of narcissism that never breaks free of what it's critiquing, Dano nonetheless makes Calvin compelling company. Jan 8, 2013 Full Review Paul Emmanuel Enicola Movie-Blogger.com “Ruby Sparks,” in all its schmaltzy tenderness, is in reality a case study of the dangers of idealizing a person, and containing that person’s whole individuality based on one’s idea of perfection. Rated: 4/5 Jul 31, 2024 Full Review Michael Clark Epoch Times How empowered would you feel if you knew that whatever you wrote could immediately be physically realized? Would you tempt fate knowing that you could always go back and edit it, or would you try to try to stay true to your own inner core values? Rated: 4/5 Dec 10, 2022 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The setup may be ancient in origin, but the treatment is sophisticated, beguiling, insightful, and brimming with charm. Rated: 4/4 Sep 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Sergio M en mi opinion, simplemente magnifica Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/24 Full Review Samara H amazing i loved it so much. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/29/23 Full Review Keegan P It was a great concept, and it seemed to be an overall good movie, but something about the ending threw it all away. He did not deserve a second chance with her and she, despite being a creation, deserved better. The ending was very predictable, but the vibe of the movie kept me hopeful that it would take that turn and end in a sad, but heartfelt lesson learned kind of way. I wanted him to lose her, all of her, and realize he can't just make a perfect girl and learn to be at peace with life's options. I wanted her to find herself and simply BE without her creator. Again, sad in the sense that he lost the one thing he loved, but lesson learned which ultimately gave it a somewhat happy ending. You can't just go all... sad and eerie power trip... to aww he gets the girl in the end. NO! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/23/23 Full Review Neil L I feel like a changed man Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris tell a story about love and made from love starring Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Elliot Gould, Antonio Banderas, Chris Messina, Deborah Ann Woll, Steve Coogan, Navi Rawat, and Annette Benning Calvin is a successful writer but he's having trouble coming up with his next story Most of all he's had no luck when it comes to finding love The women he's met have no interest in him, only his talent and the idea of him Calvin seeks guidance from his therapist while coming up with the idea of writing about a woman named Ruby Sparks She's young, has red hair, and is everything he could dream of finding a partner But something miraculous happens....while making the story on his typewriter he's surprised to find a woman in his house believing she and him have always been together This woman Calvin realizes is the same woman he created from the page! Anything he types she can do whether speaking French etc. This brought me back to the likes of 'Stranger Than Fiction' where anything the author creates it actually comes true Calvin truly believes he's found the woman of his dreams but his best friend thinks it's crazy he can conjure up something that defies logic and explanation As time goes on though Calvin is having a hard time finally understanding the ups and downs of a relationship The rules, limitations, and expectations are things Calvin never considered Dano and Kazan are so darn cute together embracing one another The film has a magical quality to it but never entirely relies on it to the point of fantastical At a certain point the movie becomes sad and even a tad bit frightening focusing on toxic behavior and controlling one party in the relationship itself Appears to be a takedown of narcissism that never breaks free of what it's critiquing while examining the traumatic fallout of clash Of course that's something as viewers know that's not how love works, words can't change people, we have to learn to see people when they're there, falling in love is an act of magic much like writing, words don't come from you but through you Dayton and Faris make an adorable romance drawing the line between fantasy love and actual love that should exist Despite some pacing issues there's original writing here and some brilliant acting going beyond expectations Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/27/23 Full Review norman osborns wife Changed my life. Every time I think about this movie I break out in tears. Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan why would you do this to me. Why. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ruby Sparks

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Movie Info

Synopsis Young author Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano), once a literary darling, is having trouble composing his next novel. Following a therapist's advice, Calvin pulls out an old manual typewriter and creates a vivacious, flame-haired woman he dubs Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). Overnight, Ruby leaps from the page into Calvin's home as a real flesh-and-blood woman. And, what's more, she's unaware that she's actually a fictional character and that her actions and feelings are dictated by whatever Calvin writes.
Director
Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Producer
Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa
Screenwriter
Zoe Kazan
Distributor
Fox Searchlight
Production Co
Bona Fide Productions
Rating
R (Some Drug Use|Language|Some Sexual References)
Genre
Romance, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 25, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$2.5M
Runtime
1h 44m
Sound Mix
Datasat, SDDS, Dolby Digital
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