Movie Review: "She’s Out of My League"

Seen on: March 13, 2010

The players: Director: Jim Field Smith, Writers: John Morris, Sean Anders, Cast: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, TJ Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence

Facts of interest: Morris and Anders also wrote upcoming comedy "Hot Tub Time Machine."

The plot: An insecure airport security guard meets the woman of his dreams, and surprisingly, she seems quite interested in him. That's what freaks him out...

Our thoughts: Jim Field Smith’s “She’s Out of My League” is a solid seven. No, it’s not a comedy masterpiece, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy myself. Filled with light humor, decent jokes and solid performances, this is a little film that’s silly enough to provoke smiles but also knows how to keep itself in check and avoid embarrassingly stupid moments.

Jay Baruchel plays Kirk, a TSA employee who’s not really lucky when it comes to women. His ex-girlfriend spends most of her time at his parents’ house with her new boyfriend, and his every attempt to win her back has failed miserably. So yeah, Kirk is not exactly a ladies man, and neither are his friends and working buddies.

Then one day, Kirk meets Molly (Alice Eve), a hot, successful event planner who forgets her cell phone at airport security and is delighted when she finds out Kirk kept it for her while she was away on her trip. Needless to say, she seems interested enough in him to hang out, and before you know it, the two kind of get romantic.

This is where it gets tricky. You see, Kirk doesn’t really understand why a woman as sexy as Molly would want to be with him, and thanks to his obvious lack of self-confidence and a load of bad advice from his pals, he soon sees his new relationship with his dream girl crumble to pieces.

“She’s Out of My League” is not necessarily a surprising comedy filled with twists and first-class jokes, but that’s totally fine. What I enjoyed most about this film are the likeable main characters, who share a bunch of awkward and amusing moments and actually learn something about themselves in the end.

Sure, some of the situations Kirk and Molly are confronted with here are absurd, but none of them slip into embarrassing territory. This is not a slapstick comedy filled with poop jokes, and that’s one of the reasons I found it so easy to go with it and enjoy the film’s simple, yet amusing atmosphere. It simply put a big smile on my face.

Witty writing by the team of Sean Anders and John Morris (“Sex Drive”) obviously helps this film a lot, but what really makes it this enjoyable are the performances. Baruchel is really perfect for the role of an insecure guy no one believes can find a hot chick, and Alice Eve does a fine job as the one falling for him. They are great together.

Freaky quote: "Underwear would be fine, if I were wearing any." - Alice Eve, looking hot

The final word: The humor takes a sexual turn here and there, but the film doesn’t drown in vulgarity at all. “She’s Out of My League” worked for me because the main characters embark on a clear path and stay the course until they learn their lesson. On top of that, they are quite funny, and at least one of them is good-looking. That’s a plus, for sure.

Article by Franck Tabouring