Sidewalks On The Corner

Link: http://sidewalkstv.com/specialfeatures/movies/shesoutofmyleague.html

Not knowing much about "She's Out Of My League," my friend and “Sidewalks” executive producer Richard R. Lee and I entered the theater expecting a total guy’s flick. You know the usual type -- filled with sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. In fact, it's quite the contrary. Director Jim Field Smith has crafted an endearing buddy movie, similar in vein to movies such as "I Love You Man."

Follow up:

SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE
Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language and sexual content. Run Time: 104 minutes
URL: http://www.ShesOutOfMyLeague.com

Cast: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, Krysten Ritter, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, and T.J. Miller.

Studio Synopsis:
In the comedy "She's Out Of My League," Kirk (Jay Baruchel, "Knocked Up," "Tropic Thunder"), an average Joe, can't believe his luck. Though he's stuck in a seemingly dead-end job as an airport security agent, against all odds, Molly (Alice Eve), a successful and outrageously gorgeous babe, falls for him. Kirk is stunned. So are his friends, his family and even his ex-girlfriend! Now he has to figure out how to make the relationship work, even though he'd be the first one to admit she's totally out of his league.

(Left to right) Devon (Nate Torrence), Jack (Mike Vogel), Kirk (Jay Baruchel) and Stainer (T.J. Miller) are former high school buddies who work as TSA agents in the DreamWorks Pictures comedy She`s Out of My League, a Paramount Pictures release.
Photo by: Darren Michaels

J.P.'s Take:
Meet Kirk Kettner (Jay Baruchel), the average, everyday working stiff. Sure he’s a polite respectful young man making his way in the world. However, those qualities turn into insecurities, making him a victim to people whose sole purpose is to exploit his weaknesses. One fine day in walks Molly (Alice Eve), a woman who appears to be the “one.” She’s beautiful, smart, successful, and in the eyes of many men, she comes pretty close to being a perfect “ten.” Both are on the rebound from previous relationships and each is struggling to find acceptance.

What gets the ball rolling is after Molly looses her cell phone, which Kirk finds; they meet at a party where he returns the phone. Sparks fly although no one could have predicted the romantic tryst that transpires between him and her. This scenario makes for an interesting twist surrounding this little romantic comedy. It’s the type of story the average Joe, like myself, can relate to for the one simple reason -- it is what’s inside that counts. Through the course of the movie, Molly starts to fall hard for Kirk and sees him for who he really is.

I really did enjoy this movie; more so than I originally felt about it. I thought the chemistry between the actors was natural enough to emulate real life. As a result, the flow of event ranging from the comical to the romantic didn’t come off as contrived or fake. There were enough laughs to keep me amused. The audience may find the scene where Molly meets Kirk’s family for the first time pretty entertaining. It’s the look of utter shock on their face when Molly comes to visit that’s priceless. Time spent with Kirk’s buddies, Stainer (T. J. Miller), Devon (Nate Torrence) and Jack (Mike Vogel), offer some nice chuckles. A funny scene is where the four buddies sit in a bowling alley and begin to add or subtract points on their attributes, as far as who’s likely to catch more women than the other. But there is one particular rib-tickling scene where Devon mans up and offers to shave Kirk’s undercarriage, so to speak. That’s hilarious stuff.

As I mentioned before, if it weren’t for the actors, this movie would have been a downer. The support cast was enjoyable. Lindsay Sloane plays Kirk’s ex-girlfriend Marine; she gave a smarmy and desperate performance, which is the typical jealous ex. She comes running back to Kirk after she found out about his new love interest, and she latched onto to him like a leach. Patty (Krysten Ritter), the dark haired cynic, seems to be fashioned after those high school girls who wear Goth make-up and swing a punk attitude. In some odd way, I thought she was just as attractive as the lead actress star Eve. Debra Jo Rupp (Mrs. Kettner), Adam LeFevre (Mr. Kettner), Geoff Stults (Cam) all gave the proper performances. Even though there was nothing special about their roles, they still added the right dynamics to fit the atmosphere.

To be honest I wasn’t bored, as with many other romantic comedies I’ve watched before. I found it entertaining and funny enough to keep my chuckling all the way through. Yet, I wouldn't run to the theater just to see it. It's more of a Saturday night rental.

Gorgeous Molly (Alice Eve, left) falls for an average Joe, much to the bewilderment of her close friend Patty (Krysten Ritter, right) in the DreamWorks Pictures comedy She`s Out of My League, a Paramount Pictures release.
Photo by: Darren Michaels

Richard's Take:
As with J.P.’s review, I was pleasantly surprised when I watched “She’s Out of My League.” With recent comedies, such as “I Love You, Man” and “The Hangover,” “League” was a straight-forward comedy film that didn’t strayed from its direct plot: an average working-man (Jay Baruchel as Kirk) meeting a beautiful woman (Alice Eve as Molly), who is considered a perfect “10.”

The movie is funny, but not as hilarious as the aforementioned “The Hangover” and “I Love You, Man.” The previous films had several scenes with out of control laughter, but “League” only has a couple, with the high point being the grooming scene between Kirk and Devon (Nate Torrence). Don’t leave the theatre to get popcorn during this escapade, it is hilarious, especially from Torrence.

Baruchel was good choice for the lead role, who came off as a sweet, caring, but insecure Kirk. Eve was fine playing Molly, but, to me, she had the girl-next-door look and was easily approachable in her scenes. I can see why Kirk would be shocked when he hanged with Molly, but I didn’t see why Molly would be interested in Kirk, even though she wanted to date an “average” guy as Kirk was the first person she met. The Kirk and Molly characters didn’t have the love connection that would make Molly really interested in him. There wasn’t enough chemistry between the two for a real relationship to work. In any case, the person who stole the film is Torrence. His bubbly attitude is enjoyable. As I write this brief review, I think Torrence would have made a good Kirk if the roles were reversed. Give this guy a chance in a leading role.

League’s” storyline wasn’t fancy and didn’t have too many sub-plots to watch. The movie could have gone in different directions, with extra “B-scenes” featuring Kirk’s parents (Debra Jo Rupp and Adam LeFevre) and ex-girlfriend (Lindsay Sloane), Kirk’s buddies (T. J. Miller as Stainer, Mike Vogel as Jack and Torrence) and Molly’s best friend (Krysten Ritter as Patty), but director Jim Field Smith and writers Sean Anders and John Morris stayed focused on the misadventures of Kirk and Molly. I think that was a smart move. The supporting players just went along with the ride, although Ritter’s, Miller’s and Vogel’s characters were somewhat unnecessary in their scenes (surprisingly, they didn’t have much to do in the film).

For the “Mr. Skin” fans, this movie has a brief nude scene: Baruchel’s ass. Many would think Eve would be nude in a couple of scenes (she does appear in her underwear), but the “League” team doesn’t take the film there. A surprise for this type of comedy film; most likely a disappointment for most men. It's raunchy in parts, but not too much as in other similar films, like "American Pie."

If I had to compare the film to “The Hangover” and “I Love You, Man,” “She’s Out of My League” is number 3, with “The Hangover” as #1. It’s an enjoyable film and you won’t think you wasted $10 at the theatre.

Video Interview:
"Sidewalks Entertainment's" Maaika Westen did a funny interview with Jay Baruchel and Nate Torrence. Click here to view.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is still growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.

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Richard R. Lee is the creator, executive producer and occasional on-air personality for the "Sidewalks Entertainment" project. His primary interest is in television programming and TV news. Although he views a variety of programs, he enjoys primarily sci-fi, comedy and adventure series, such as "Star Trek," "Firefly," "Battlestar Galactica," "Jericho," "Alien Nation," "Bosom Buddies," and "MacGyver." Additionally, he samples many of the entertainment talk shows and has seen many of the biggest shows hosted by Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, and Jay Leno.