When Bo Derek introduced us to the concept of a “10” in 1979, it brought a ranking system into popular cultures in which people were given a number, one through 10, to describe their attractiveness. More than 30 years later, sets of “rules” have come from the scale, and one such “rule” is what “She’s Out of My League” is based on.
According to a character in the film, one cannot go more than two points above themselves in any relationship. Enter Kirk Kettner, a TSA screener at the Pittsburgh International Airport and a “six” at best.
Baruchel is the latest leading man from the Judd Apatow family tree, much like stars Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill and Jason Segal, Baruchel worked with Apatow in television, then worked as a supporting role in his films, before getting his own project.
He has that same sort of stumbling, awkward style of humor, but with his rail-skinny body and odd hairdos, he’s much more at the nerdy end of the spectrum.
While desperately trying to win back his ex-girlfriend after a two-year split, Kirk meets Molly, an event planner who is a “hard 10.” Molly misplaces her phone, Kirk finds it, and so begins a romance that threatens to turn the world upside down.
Kirk’s friend Stainer (played by T.J. Miller, best known as the cameraman in “Cloverfield”) tells him that the budding relationship is destined to fail, while Kirk’s other friends offer varying stages of bad advice and weak support.
The movie deals with Kirk’s struggle to accept the fact that this beautiful woman is interested in him, and his struggle to prevent the inevitable — her leaving him — from happening.
We get introduced to Molly’s lantern-jawed ex-boyfriend, a jet pilot, as well as Kirk’s family, each of whom serve no other purpose than to constantly remind him of the strangeness of the situation he’s in.
It’s the classic “fall for the nice guy” kind of movie, but it sort of works in this case. Molly is played by British actress Alice Eve, who is very attractive, but she’s also very down-to-earth, so it doesn’t seem like a terrible stretch.
While the story arc is the same as any romantic comedy, the story wins points because it puts the improv-style humor of Miller, Baruchel and others first. They all get time to say their piece, tell their stories at the bowling alley, the bar or wherever else the group finds themselves.
Nate Torrance, who plays Kirk’s portly, married friend Devon, is the gem of the film, he steals quite a few scenes, and in a movie rated “R” for language, his complete refusal to curse is both refreshing and off-putting in a funny way. This, combined with a few funny scenes with Kirk getting ready for his dates, fill out the movie where it could otherwise be filler. By the time the inevitable fight between Kirk and Molly comes and then the race-against-time reconciliation is happening, the movie is just wrapping up.
It makes the movie more of a comedy and less of a romance, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
The only problem is that the comedy doesn’t always deliver. They rely on a lot of the same old awkward guy gags that were done much better in films like “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.”
It’s entertaining for sure, but there are large gaps in the funny throughout the picture. Of course it tries to teach the whole “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” thing, but in the end, you walk out of the theater pretty sure that a skinny geek like Kirk couldn’t really get a hottie like Molly.
Rating - $7.50
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