Four on a scale of 10By John DeSando, WCBE's "It's Movie Time," "Cinema Classics," and "On the Marquee
"How can a 10 go for a 5?" "League" Tagline
Many of us average folk have issues of self esteem that rise to fever pitch when we love someone we revere so much as to worry we don't deserve that person. End of story; we get over it and make it through long, rewarding relationships. Long and unrewarding is She's Out of My League, a romantic comedy with a laugh or two at some raunchy topics and a brief moment or two of reflection on self esteem.
Otherwise the clich?s kick in more quickly than boredom, which itself comes quickly
Kirk (Jay Baruchel in Michael Cera mode), a 5 on the film's male/female rating system, is improbably pursued by Molly (Alice Eve), a hard 10 by his buddies' unanimous, drooling estimate. The film goes over this territory over and over again to remind him he is unworthy, a bit that lasts right to the end. No insight other than love should rely on personality rather than looks. Funny, most of the 10's I know are with at worst 8's and usually 9's.
The scene with his 3 buddies explaining the 10 scale is amusing, adding and subtracting points for such items as cars and health (not unreasonable) as in a gross way is the scene where a buddy helps Kirk shave to prep for sex. But really, both highlights are sophomoric, more appropriate for a frat party than a movie theater.
It's time of year around the Oscars when studios dump out films they know couldn't make a dollar in prime time. Yes, this film is in of that league.
John DeSando teaches film at Franklin University and co-hosts WCBE 90.5's It's Movie Time, Cinema Classics, and On the Marquee, which can be heard streaming at http://publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/ppr/index.shtml and on demand at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/arts.artsmain Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.RR.com