Pushing Past The Confines Of Sophomoric Flicks

Anyone with a libido knows the "rating system," the system by which society rates the attractiveness of an individual. It was only a matter of time before the Apatowian generation exploited the concept into a full blown film about losers in love, She's Out of My League. Somewhere along the way, though, the film becomes a charming tale of new beginnings despite what sounds like a lame plot.

The film charts the life of ambitious but ill-equipped everyman Kirk (Jay Baruchel), an employee for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in Pittsburgh, Penn. Despite his girlfriend breaking up with him and his family's petulant teasing, Kirk seems satisfied with life. Not until luminous Molly (Alice Eve) undergoes a security check does his life turn around.

Molly and Kirk begin a courtship, but Kirk's TSA buds (led by T.J. Miller) continually try to prove to him that he's tricking the universe by overcoming the rating system. As the rule goes, one can only "skip" two rating points. While Molly's a "hard 10," Kirk is a slovenly five ("A five on looks, a half-point for being nice, a half-point for being funny, and a minus one for a crappy car."). Kirk finds himself questioning throughout the rest of the movie whether he's good enough for Molly, especially after meeting her testosterone laden ex-boyfriend (Geoff Stults, with a jaw square enough to be a brick).

The story itself is relatively predictable, but a certain charm keeps it from being too cliche. Director Jim Field Smith brings an essence of Apatow to the proceedings, but is smart enough not to go for a carbon copy directing style. Sure, there are the typical comically disgusting scenes (one with a dog offers plenty of discomfort to go around), but it's all done with a light touch, as though the movie doesn't try to take itself too seriously. The script, by Sean Anders and John Morris, also is nothing extraordinary, but it offers nice laughs despite a slow beginning. The film may be a bit misogynistic, but its heart is in the right place and inspires a nice moral morsel by film's end.

Baruchel is not a typical leading man, obviously. With an incredibly skinny frame and shrewish features, he's a typical guy. While he should be the movie's strength, he somehow ends up missing the mark and turning in a disjointed performance. While all those around him praise his charm and wit, the attributes Molly likes most about him, the audience doesn't catch those quailites, as Baruchel plays him as bitter and disbelieving. His best moments are those with Eve, who brings the best out of her co-stars. Eve's "dream 10" is essentially too good to be true, but the camera captures an infallible beauty and charm reminiscent of early Nicole Kidman. She wins the audience over just as she does the men around her. Miller and Krysten Ritter bring bite to their roles as the unsupportive best friends, in their attempts to outdo one another in the nastiness department and steal the movie in their comedic moments.

The film isn't trying to be revolutionary, and in that down-to-earth fashion, it somehow charms. While the film ends with some plot holes, it goes unnoticed in the grand scheme of things. I'd give it a solid five with a half-point for humor and a half-point for charm.