is technically a romantic comedy, but one that obviously favors the comedy side. Even the romantic side, a nerdy, “uncoordinated” high-school graduate trying his best to court an obviously much hotter broad, is inherently funny. Even when the romance rears its comedy killing head, the laughs are never very far away because a suitor so inexperienced can never quite be as suave as the heroine’s previous partners.
The film stars Alice Eve and Jay Baruchel with Jim Field Smith directing them, all relatively unknown in mainstream Hollywood, and is written by the writing team of and . These movies are pretty straightforward comedies, and really so is . There is the angle, which happens to be romantic, but that is really as far as the movie forays into the arena of romance. If this movie itself was a relationship, there is no “where is the relationship going” talk to slow it down. It is there for the fun and it does not suffer because of it.
The hilarity revolves around the situations, which can get pretty ridiculous. It is not one-liners, pop culture references or higher-brow allusions that aim to tickle. The oddness of the circumstances just keeps piling on until it all comes to a screeching halt, generally with someone futilely trying to escape. The whole time the audience squirms just to be witnessing such screwball behavior. But it always comes back to an exasperation at the disparity between the protagonists’ looks, shown by a simple 1-10 scale. What could have easily been the slowest and most boring aspect of the film, explaining the numerical rating system to compare people, is quite quick. Since the audience already knows (and probably uses) this system, the jokes about it are funny and do not have to be explained. This, however, is not the source of most of the jokes of the movie. The movie uses the romantic situation to its advantage, emphasizing the problems a so-called 5 would have dating a 10.
It is really easy to see the main character as a stereotypical Tech student: sweet and with good intentions, but without much sweet-talking game. The entire movie, the audience is rooting for this underdog like it is the Tech-Georgia game. His bumbling clumsiness is endearing. He just cannot quite figure out why someone so obviously out of his league would even be interested. It is very easy to fall in love with the poor guy who just does not know what to do with himself around a hot girl.
So good thing he has his friends to lead him (astray). One of the highlights of the movie is TJ Miller, who plays one of the main character’s friends (who she’s also way too hot for). He is the fast-talking, usually inappropriate, shallow devil on the shoulder. He always has something to say, which he may or probably did not filter before he said it. Sporadically, whenever he comes on screen, a little bit of the dementia simmering inside spills all over everything. And as soon as it comes, it goes and the audience is left to pick up the pieces and wonder what just happened.
is really a comedy, with a romantic wrapper, which is perhaps to entice the feminine half of couples into the theater. There are plenty of laughs at the eccentric character and the situations that arise when these star-crossed elements mix. This movie is hilarious and does not sink to the level to make Britney Spears jokes, although there are some body-fluids jokes.
Though it may not be very high brow, delivers the laughs in buckets and barrels bringing plenty of belly-busting hysterics.