She's Out of My League (2010) starring Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Mike Vogel, Sharon Maughan, Trevor Eve directed by Jim Field Smith Movie Review

She's Out of My League (2010)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Jay Baruchel as Kirk in She's Out of My League (2010)

Good Golly Miss Molly

I could easily say that if you enjoy the romantic comedies of Judd Apatow you will most likely enjoy "She's Out of My League", it may not be an Apatow movie but it is very similar in style, humour and story. Now the irony is that for me was a problem because when "She's Out of My League" started and we meet Kirk and his weird bunch of friends and family it felt like it was trying too hard to be too much like an Apatow movie. But then when director Jim Field Smith stops trying and focuses on the obvious but fun romantic comedy of an average Joe and a babe it works, in fact it won me over having felt unimpressed to start with.

Kirk (Jay Baruchel - Tropic Thunder) works at the airport with his friends and is average in every way; well not entirely because for some reason his ex who dumped him two years earlier is closer to his parents than he is. But that all changes when Molly (Alice Eve) walks into his life at the airport, a perfect babe completely out of his league yet a babe who Kirk discovers is into him. To his surprise they date and despite feeling inadequate everything goes well, that is until all the comments he's heard of not being good enough finally get the better of him.

Alice Eve and Jay Baruchel in She's Out of My League (2010)

So here is my big negative and that is for the first 30 minutes "She's Out of My League" feels like an attempt to be an Apatow comedy as we meet Kirk and his friends. From the various characters in their group to where they hang out and act around each other it is all too familiar. Now some may like this but for me it ends up feeling too forced with the likes of T.J. Miller and Mike Vogel playing characters too similar to ones from some of Apatow's movies and not doing such a good job of it.

The thing is that when director Jim Field Smith stops delivering something Apatow like and focuses on the story of the average Kirk going out with the perfect Molly it becomes good. None of it may be that original, you know their will be difficulties along the way from Kirk's self esteem issues to various sexual issues but it is entertaining. And more importantly there is a strange spark between actors Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve which makes watching Kirk and Molly together quite charming. In fact Smith has done a really nice job of including a romantic montage which for once is actually romantic rather than just corny and comical which seems to be the norm in modern romantic comedies.

And to be honest that is about it because "She's Out of My League" is not some ground breaking new movie, it is just a romantic comedy about an average guy and a babe. Baruchel is well cast as Kirk because he has an awkwardness about him and a look which whilst not ugly is not exactly a babe magnet either. And talking of babe well firstly Alice Eve acts the part of Molly well and makes her fun and vibrant but it is hard not to mention that she is also smoking hot especially in the lingerie scene.

What this all boils down to is that "She's Out of My League" is really just an ordinary romantic comedy which goes from trying to be an Apatow movie to finding its own style which is where it actually comes good. It is fun and entertaining and a nice date movie but other than the fact Alice Eve is smoking hot it isn't really memorable.


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