British director Jim Field Smith seems to be doing things backwards by making his first feature film, Shes Out Of My League, for a Hollywood studio, before planning to return to Blighty for the upcoming Good Luck Anthony Belcher and All Quiet On The Orient Express. While Shes Out Of My League is his first film, he shows hes knows what hes doing. A former member of a Perrier Award nominated sketch troupe and director of numerous high-profile commercials, hes a man who has experience with both filmmaking and comedy, which is a potentially potent mix.
Jay Baruchel plays airport worker Kirk, a scrawny loser whos used to getting laughed at by his buddies and being taken advantage of by his family. Still reeling from a break-up and with his friends telling him hes a five out of 10 in the potential boyfriend stakes at best, hes as surprised as anyone when Molly, whos a hard 10, takes an interest in him.
While in most films hed be right to be worried, as shed only be after him for her own nefarious ends (or because hes a middle-aged star who has it contractually written into his contract that all films he appeared in must feature a besotted woman whos under 35), here she genuinely likes Kirk for who he is, and the most of the rest of the film is about how Kirks own insecurities and lack of confident might undermine the relationship.
Part of the breed of Judd Apatow-style comedies that deal with male neuroses, Shes Out Of My League is far more successful than movies of its ilk. It realise that while some people might like gross-out hi-jinks, its really the characters they respond to, and that in this type of comedy, more important than in-your-face crassness is empathy with the characters. After all, who hasnt had a downer on themselves at some time or another and wondered why a partner would want to be with them?
You can probably already guess where the film is headed and it doesnt really deviate from the formula, but its an entertaining ride as Kirk finds his self confidence and begins to realise maybe he isnt such a loser after all. Its essentially a reverse rom-com, as in most films its the woman who need to learn to be confident and believe in herself, but Shes Out Of My League is here to say (as if anyone didnt know) that men can be neurotic too. The result is that while it refuses to conform to the usual rom-com gender stereotypes, it nevertheless feels oddly formulaic.
| She’s Out Of My League Red Band Trailer |
The film ends up in the almost perverse position where its great when its rolling along with geeky but lovable Kirk and his new stunner of a girlfriend, but trips over itself when it tries to fill its gross-out quota. Its difficult to know whether the original script was a lot grosser and got toned down (which it may have been as its from the writers of Sex Drive and Hot Tub Time Machine), or if the studio artificially wanted to gross it up, but it definitely feels like the raunchy and sweet-natured sides of the film are working against each other. It means its a sweet and funny movie, with a good-nature and thoughtful demeanour, but which occasionally drops in a clanging scene about manscaping, or which takes having an overbearing family to the point where it becomes unpleasant bullying.
Luckily though, the heart of the film wins through, thanks to a good cast, including Baruchel who finally gets leading man status after hanging around in the background of the likes of Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder. Here he shows more enough geeky charm and comic skill to prove he deserves top billing. Although the girlfriend role might have been a bit of a thankless one, Alice Eve injects a lot of life and fun into Molly, a character who could so easily have been a cardboard cut-out for the males to obsess over. Likewise, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel and Nate Torrence, as Kirks friends Stainer, Jack and Devon, could have come across as nasty, unredeemable assholes, but the script and acting manage to pull it off.
Although Shes Out Of My League is by no means a masterpiece, and plot-wise its pretty formulaic (but with the gender roles revered), its a lot better than most wannabe Apatow flicks. Its also suggests Smith may be a director to watch out for, as while hes not showy, he concentrates on building the characters and letting the humour come from this, which is a relatively rare thing in a world where most directors seem to think an audience will only laugh if you shove jokes in their face than have nothing to do with anything.
Overall Verdict: Although the occasional gross-out moments fall rather flat and its slightly formulaic, Shes Out Of My League is sweet, charming and well worth a look.
Reviewer: Phil Caine