Ruby Sparks thoughtful & funny

Totally enjoyed Ruby Sparks because it's funny & thought provoking. I'm even debating taking my 12 year-old daughter for the incredible discussion we could have after. I'm just hung up on one little part where two characters talk about BJs. I plan to discuss that more in my Time-Starved Mom blog.

For a romantic comedy, it's not the typical blend. It comes with true questions about relationships and expectations. Interesting that a female wrote the script.

Essentially the film is about a writer (Paul Dano) who found early fame with his first book; he then hits a dry spell. With the help of his therapist, he begins writing again and develops a character that he comes to love. He can't stop writing about Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan) and him, and then she's suddenly real. But when she starts getting a mind of her own, he tries changing her. You don't always get what you wish for is a key theme.

Kazan writes the screenplay, and the film is directed by the duo behind Little Miss Sunshine, another good, poignant and funny movie. Ruby Sparks also stars Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and Chris Messina.

Rated R for language including some sexual references, and for some drug use. My grade: A-

The Babymakers

Making babies is potentially quite funny. There's lots of material for laughs, especially if you don't mind crossing into the politically incorrect and raunchy territory. I'm good with both, if done right.

The Babymakers (Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn) didn't do it for me. Oh, there was some funny material, and offensive material, too. But the delivery of the potentially funny stuff was just bad.

The plot is essential guy and girl, married three years, decide it's time to have a baby. They then start doing it EVERYWHERE. Months later, sex is a chore. Maybe something is wrong? Hmmm, well he's shooting blanks, but he didn't before. So he recruits help for stealing bad his sperm from a sperm band from the days he was potent. Funny, maybe...but then.

I wish I had looked at the director credit so I'd know what I was in for. Jay Chandrasekhar is known for films Beerfest and SuperTroopers. I mostly saw bad reviews for these raunchy comedies.

Anyway, this film offers stereotypes of the Indian guys (incidentally the director plays that role) and Chinese babies, female sex fantasies (including a turn to bestiality porn - ick!), body part jokes, sperm jokes (and a gross out scene at a sperm bank), etc. They will offend some, potentially many. I'm not easily offended, but some of these jokes were plain dumb.

Sadly, as the actors delivered all these one-liners, it seemed as though they would crack up mid scene. Somehow they supressed their laughter. I just wanted to laugh.

Rated R for crude and sexual content, brief graphic nudity, language and some drug use. My grade: D-

The trailer: