Ruby Sparks

Ends tonight, Aug. 30. A solitary young novelist named Calvin, already the author of a surprise best-seller but stalled with his second book, dreams of a quirky but fetching young woman named Ruby. He begins writing his dreamgirl into his new novel, but is soon shocked and amazed to discover that the Ruby of his dreams has suddenly turned up in the flesh and is living in his apartment. Calvin (Paul Dano) thinks he might be going mad and so does his fussy brother, Harry (Chris Messina), but once Ruby (Zoe Kazan, who also wrote the screenplay) shows both of them she’s no phantom hallucination, the relationship sets in for real. What ensues is a quirky kind of romantic comedy with a Pirandellian twist—the perfect romance becomes not so perfect, and the writer comes to see he has to take responsibility for what he has created. Co-directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and a terrific cast play through all of this with a good deal of charm and wit. Paradise Cinema 7. Rated R.