She’s Out of My League
Just from the title I knew this film would be similar to American Pie, a film that I didn’t particularly care for, but which was popular with teenagers. However, I gave it a chance, but was not surprised by the outcome.
Basically, this film is a salute to every nerdy guy out there who thinks that because of his looks he cannot get the girl of his dreams. Everyone knows that if you judge someone just on their looks, and not their personality, you are a rather shallow person. When Kirk Kettner (Jay Baruchel), a twenty something skinny and geeky airport security guard, instantly falls head over heels for passenger and party planner Molly (Alice Eve), a woman beyond his wildest dreams, he can’t believe that someone of her caliber would genuinely be attracted to him. He soon starts battling his own demons as he feels he is of a lower status than her, when really it is his friends that have put this thought in his head.
Lately, the majority of comedies have been more ridiculous, with the jokes either making no sense at all (with hardly any true humor), or just throwing in every degrading idea under the kitchen sink, such as The Hangover (I must be one of the few people who didn’t find a single scene funny in that film). I hope that soon there will be comedies with real intelligence and wit, as well as classy characters – horror of horrors that some people do have some dignity and can hold conversations!
At least, in this film, Kirk is a guy who has some intelligence, compared to his family who are just total jerks and are in shock when he introduces Molly to them. For example, as soon as Kirk’s sister-in-law sees Molly she changes into another outfit to compete with her. The men then take out their jealousy at Kirk by hitting hockey pucks at him in a den as he tries to defend himself. When Molly says that the reason she likes Kirk is because he treats her with decency his family are all speechless. They cannot believe that some ladies prefer brains over brawns in a guy. Molly’s best friend and party-planning partner, Patty (Krysten Ritter) is no better and resists the new match. Kirk’s friend, Devon (Nate Torrence), only argues that love really does exist.
You knew sooner or later there had to be an incident that would ruffle a few feathers to keep viewers interested. When Kirk and Molly have a disagreement, Kirk soon realizes that he has to disregard what others think and be true to his heart. Although it is not hard to see Molly and Kirk as a realistic couple, and there are one or two humorous scenes, I would have to say skip this movie and rent a comedy where the main characters are not constantly put down by others and who you really do want to root for.
She’s Out of My League • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Running Time: 104 minutes • MPAA Rating: R for language and sexual content. • Distributed by Paramount Pictures