Director: Jim Field Smith
Writer: Sean Anders, John Morris
DVD and Blu-ray release date: September 27 2010
Studio: Paramount Home Entertainment
Number of discs: 1
Price: From £12.99-£17.93
Running time DVD and Blu-ray: 100/104 mins
Certificate: 15
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J.Miller, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Lindsay Sloane

Nerdy romcom films are hardly in short supply but the writers of Hot Tub Time Machine somehow manage to inject a fresh perspective into this well-worn genre with She’s Out Of My League.

Kirk snorts when he laughs and isn’t exactly buff with his gangly awkward frame. He’s worked at the local airport ever since his dad got a swimming pool rather than pay his college fees. His vile ex-girlfriend, Marnie, fits in better with his family than he does, practically living at their house with her new meat-head “entrepreneurial” boyfriend, Ron, who runs a pizza shop.

Everything changes for Kirk when he meets Molly at airport security. Molly’s a lawyer who now runs her own entertainment planning business with her best friend, Patty. But most importantly, she is stunning and a “perfect ten”. Kirk’s equation, however looks more like: “5 + 1/2 for being nice + 1/2 for being funny – 1 for his car”. Despite the numbers not adding up, recently hurt, Molly decides to give Kirk a go as a “safe guy”; For the rest of the film Kirk’s mind “boggles”.

A relatively unknown cast, charming characters and engaging script, give She’s Out Of My League an 80s’ feel. Kirk’s best friends, Stainer and Devon, are both well-written and even Molly is surprisingly likeable, despite her perfection. By far the favourite is the Disney-fixated Devon – an entirely endearing hopeless romantic who is married himself and sees life as a potential fairytale: “Let’s go on a magic carpet ride” he says, referring to Kirk’s first re-meeting of Molly. His ever-cheesy character delivers the main moral of our 80s’ fairytale: “If someone really loves you then you are a 10.”

She’s Out Of My League not only hits the spot in terms of romance but the mismatched pairing of Molly and Kirk leads to a fair amount of farcical comedy – their first date is almost disastrous when Kirk wears identical jackets to the restaurant waiters, the scene where Devon really goes that extra mile for a friend, when Steiner’s band, “Adult Education”, perform and the final airport showdown where Kirk’s whole family sport revolting matching “Branson Bound!” sweaters.

She’s Out Of My League is a truly promising feel-good first feature from new Director, Jim Field Smith, and worth the time for exposure to a talented unfamiliar cast, and catchy new blend – the moodle…

***

Special Features:

  • Deleted Scenes.
  • Blooper Reel.
  • Extended Ending.
  • Devon’s Dating Show – A Hilarious “Dos and Don’ts”.
  • Commentary By Director, Jim Field Smith.