Ruby Sparks

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Ruby Sparks

R

Released Jul 25, 2012

1h 44m

Romance

Fantasy

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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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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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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

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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

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Dave D

I've seen Ruby Sparks at least a dozen times, and it gets better with each viewing. Beautifully acted and directed. Not a single sour note. And for the record, I'm not a fan of rom-coms. Ruby Sparks is only a rom-coms on the surface. Underneath it's a meditation on male toxicity, narcissism, loneliness, and the perils of idealizations. Simply brilliant.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/10/25

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Faiz D

A charming and fun film about love and magic.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Malik abdullah M

Nice watch to pass some time but wouldn't really remember it after a while like a lot of unanswered question for my interpretation of film made it fast paced for me

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

Full Review

av 8

This movie is definitely an interesting watch. Ruby Sparks, borne out of Calvin's writing, is the woman of his dreams, or rather, of his writings, must I say? Calvin begins to think he has lost his last marble before he realizes that Ruby is real—that everybody can see her, feel her and interact with her. The story begins to take wild turns once Calvin stops writing about her. But what happens when Ruby evolves and ceases to be the fictitious woman that he so much adored? I couldn't point a finger of accusation at Ruby, though she has her blatant flaws—the ones that were written by a cold and manipulative Calvin, as well as others of her own. There were moments that made my blood curdle with repugnance. However, the amends towards the end relieved me of that pain. This is a frigid romance, much like the ones in real life, where we love the fantastical picture of a person we have painted in our heads rather than who they truly are.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/25/25

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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

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Jonathan Dayton

Director

Valerie Faris

Director

Paul Dano

Calvin Weir-Fields

Zoe Kazan

Ruby Sparks

Antonio Banderas

Mort

Annette Bening

Gertrude

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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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