The Red Right Hand
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SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE
How Can A 10 Go For A 5?

Director
Jim Field Smith

Starring
Jay Baruchel
Alice Eve
T.J. Miller
Nate Torrence
Mike Vogel

Despite three particular scenes, this is not the gross-out comedy it was advertised to be. In fact, it bears closer resemblance to the comedic styling of Sex Drive - more than likely for the fact that it was penned by the same writers - the plot is acceptable but the levels of heart and humour forego many of the film's basic shortcomings

The plot tells the story of airport security nobody, Kirk [Baruchel], and the relationship he seems to stumble into with the successful and attractive lawyer/events co-ordinator, Molly [Eve]. From the very get-go, Kirk is in genuine shock to find himself in a relationship with a girl that his friends class unobtainable for him. To explain, they have this progressive grade that rates all relationship compatibility on a scale of one to ten. In other words, Kirk is a skinny, low income, under-educated average person and therefore a 5. Molly being the epitome of the male social attraction (blonde, slim, large breasts, lots of money) is instantly rated a very solid 10. As the story progresses, their relationship solidifies and everything seems to be moving along smoothly. A few socially awkward family moments careen in and out of view but the biggest problem between the leads appears to be Kirk's insecurity, waiting for the universe to balance out and remove Molly from his life and Molly's intentions, whether she is simply with someone like Kirk because he's a safe bet or if she actually sees a future with a guy who works at an airport. Surprisingly enough, it's actually a very well told and surprisingly mature piece that examines what is socially expected. I'm not saying it's perfect, far from it, but it was certainly entertaining.

As far as technical angles go, this film is fairly standard, nothing overly exciting in the way of cinematography, direction or musical accompaniment but then again, a comedy of this nature, isn't trying to be visually original, more challenge the standard plot which would conclude with Molly being a bitch and Kirk realising what he wanted was under his nose all along or the exact same thing with Molly not being a bitch and ending up with someone too. No, like most comedies, it's about the humiliating situations, the one-liners and the whacky supporting cast. The latter, were all extremely impressive. First we have the reuniting of Vogel and Miller - two of my favourite elements in Cloverfield - Miller especially steals every scene he's in. In close competition is the rather simple Devon [Torrence] who seems to live in a world of Disney references. It may sound like he's little more than the stupid fat friend but he's actually the heart of the group and incredibly amusing to watch. Molly's friends fall less into focus; first we have the incredibly volatile Patty [Krysten Ritter] who managed to deliver plenty of memorable one-liners, in what was essentially a pretty flat character. And second there's the ex boyfriend attempting to win Molly back, assuming Kirk is at first a waiter and later her new homosexual friend.

There are, however, plenty of flaws that leave this movie wanting. First we have the fact that Alice Eve as Molly is a little dry. I'm not so much accusing her performance because at the end of the day, she portrayed a nice girl who was neither manipulative, slutty or stupid (as the trend in cinema seems to go *cough* Megan Fox! *cough*) but more for the fact that her character was just written quite blandly. Jay Baruchel favours better as Kirk but I'll go into that in more detail later (see below). On top of that, we have the plot itself which, although steers clear of typical setups or extravagantly over-the-top scenarios, still manages to conclude on an odd tone whereby we can't help but feel it ended a little too easily.

It could simply be my incredibly cynical and untrusting nature but there was just something about the two leads together that simply didn't work. If anything, I imagine that's the film's key message: just because they may not appear to be perfect for one another, doesn't necessarily mean they're not happy. A statement of extreme maturity in contemporary cinema. . . or a self-admitted confession of social prejudice and expectational presumptions.

Release Date:
4th June 2010

The Scene To Look Out For:
**Spoilers throughout**
The clichéd finale actually makes sense, solely for the fact that his friends work in airport security. I'm not saying the story works perfectly but few things irritate me more than people forcing their way through to the check-in gates at airports in the name of love and not being shot at (Not Another Teen Movie portrayed this perfectly). Unsure of how the film would end, I was pleased that every opportunity to produce a sickening speech or saccharine display seemed to be avoided and undercut by a moment of comedy - Kirk giving his speech to an entire plane about going after his dreams only to be told the door is sealed and he would incur a $25,000 fine to open it. Opting to simply sit out the flight, he returns to his seat. I still feel the final note was a little too neat but despite this, it could have been so much worse.

Notable Characters:
Baruchel has cropped up in so many features and fails to garner any real respect; which is incredibly unfortunate as he's a rather talented individual. If I ever bring him up, most people shrug and ask who I'm talking about, at which point I list films such as Tropic Thunder, Million Dollar Baby, How To Train Your Dragon, Knocked Up, etc only to be asked, 'which one was he then?' In one of his first leading roles, he manages to not only control the film reasonably well but also avoids becoming background fodder for the support roles (the character of Ted in How I Met Your Mother comes to mind).

Highlighted Quote:
"I hate her. In fact, the day you broke up with her, I marked that down on my calendar as a day of rejoicement. I'm going to celebrate it every year with a cake with her face on it. Only instead of eating it, we smash it"

In A Few Words:
"A little cheap and stupid but curiously more mature than the average sophomoric boy's rom-com"

Total Score:
7/10


Matthew Stogdon