Minor League

I'm a fan of Jay Baruchel's from the Judd Apatow show Undeclared, but not enough of one that I wanted to see She's Out of My League when it was out in theaters earlier this year. It looked like it could be good for a few laughs, but probably wasn't anything great. So into the Netflix queue it went.

As it turns out, my expectations of the film were a bit off. The film actually wasn't good for a few laughs. I don't know if I was looking for American Pie/There's Something About Mary hijinks and/or gross-outs, or just standard romantic comedy chuckles, but I found the movie to be almost steadfastly unfunny. It wasn't tedious or anything, but it never really rose above a sort of robotic "ah yes, I see how that would be considered funny" kind of humor.

That said, the movie actually tells a pretty decent story regardless. It's standard rom-com fare, but it's very well put together. The guy is likable, the girl is likable. The friends are entertaining. The families are perfectly crafted obstacles. The story covers all the expected, necessary beats for this kind of film. You get exactly what you expect from one of these movies, and no stone is left unturned.

If you've seen any of the series Undeclared, then you know exactly the sort of work Jay Baruchel is doing here. He's perfectly cast for this part, and does a fine job. So's the female lead, Alice Eve, who has the unenviable job of having to believably portray the "perfect girl." Along the way, there are some other faces you might recognize, including Mike Vogel (The Deaths of Ian Stone and Cloverfield), Nate Torrence (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), and Debra Jo Rupp (That 70s Show). No one's winning awards here, but everyone does well with their roles.

So, totaling it all up -- a sweetly made romantic comedy that does exactly what it should with the romance and falls short on the comedy. "Nice personality, average looks." Or maybe that's "nice looks, bad personality?" In any case, I'd call it a C+. You'll probably think it's alright if you watch it, but it's nothing to clear your schedule for.