Ruby Sparks

In classical mythology, the sculptor Pygmalion fell in love with a beautiful statue he created that later came to life by the grace of the gods—a theme that inspired George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, as well as the classic film My Fair Lady. Actress/writer Zoe Kazan (granddaughter of director Elia Kazan) indulges in that same vein of magical realism with this quirky, witty, romantic fable—delightfully directed by husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris—about a contemporary Los Angeles novelist, played by Kazan's real-life boyfriend Paul Dano. Having achieved early acclaim, neurotic literary prodigy Calvin Weir-Fields (Dano) is recovering from the rupture of a long-term relationship and suffering from acute writer's block. After he envisions saucy, red-headed Ruby Sparks (Kazan) while walking in the park with his dog Scotty (named after F. Scott Fitzgerald), Calvin follows a suggestion from his psychiatrist (Elliott Gould) and develops a full-fledged story about this idealized young woman. In the midst of Calvin's creative frenzy, however, his concerned older brother Harry (Chris Messina) discovers female lingerie scattered about Calvin's stark, minimalist Hollywood Hills bachelor pad. A bewildered Calvin claims ignorance—but one morning he finds effervescent yet ethereal Ruby cooking breakfast in his kitchen. Confused and convinced that he's hallucinating, Calvin is stunned when the pair go out and others can see Ruby too. After a visit with his free-spirited, widowed mother (Annette Bening) and her lover (Antonio Banderas) in Big Sur—where Ruby begins to assert her independence—Calvin realizes that he can change and control Ruby by simply rewriting her. But does he want to? Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Behind the Story” (4 min.), “Be Careful What You Wish For” (4 min.), and “Real-Life Couples” with the cast and crew (3 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “Getting to Know the Cast” segment (4 min.) and a “Los Angeles: The Other Character” location featurette (3 min.). Bottom line: a small extras package for a winning film.] (S. Granger)