For those who believe the hottest girls always end up with the douchiest guys, prepare to breathe a little fresh air. The renewing powers of cinema have graced audiences with an upcoming film that follows the story of a guy and a girl who just don’t quite match.
Jay Baruchel (“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”) and Nate Torrence (“My Best Friend’s Girl”), stars of Dreamworks’ latest romantic comedy “She’s Out of My League,” spared some time to have a quick word about the film in a recent conference call. Baruchel plays Kirk, a mild-mannered and genuine guy who attracts the affections of a girl who is (obviously) way hotter than him. Torrence plays one of Kirk’s coworkers and confidants, Devon. Together they navigate the tough territory of relationships and hotties who are way too hot to handle.
It’s easy to typecast Baruchel into the usual comic relief supporting role he played in “Knocked Up,” but the Canadian native has vast experience in the business. Baruchel has done several Canadian indie films, starred in television’s short but great “Undeclared” and has had plenty of face time on the big screen — his acting chops are anything but absent. Taking a lead role in a rom-com is one of the most sensible moves Baruchel could make. However, the Apatow alum is not just any script-gobbling career go-getter.
“If it sounds like I’m going to have fun doing it and I (would) pay money to see it myself, then … I’ll usually do it,” Baruchel said.
Both Torrence and Baruchel also commented on the on-set atmosphere and relationships with fellow cast members. Many of the actors, Baruchel and Torrence included, have their roots in improv, so it seems likely that goofing off and ad-libbing would be rampant. Shooting a comedy should be funny, and humorous impromptu elements are not lacking in “She’s Out of My League.”
“I will ad-lib no matter what. Whether or not they use it is a whole different story,” Baruchel said.
Perhaps such defiance would be problematic, but for this movie it can provide a good context for spontaneous and genuine moments of hilarity.
“I’d say we all just kind of found each other real funny and poor Jim [Field Smith], the director, was basically a camp counselor just trying to kind of herd us and keep us in line right,” Baruchel said.
Torrence noted the appeal of the film, and distinguished it from similar movies in the genre. Romantic comedies may be a dime a dozen, and Torrence seems highly aware of this. Perhaps avoiding clich? is impossible in a Hollywood film, but that doesn’t stop great films from being made. Although this one may veer closely in terms of plot structure to other comedies, Torrence outlined one of the more important differences between “She’s Out of My League” and other romantic comedies saying,
“What makes it different is I think that again here’s a clich? but … the heart of the movie it has a chutzpah [that] elevates it,” he said.
It may seem like “She’s Out of My League” will not be a genre-shattering film that changes the game for everyone in show business, but it is not without its merits.
“I really think that we have four sympathetic characters and … there’s not a douchebag amongst us,” Torrence said.
Hopefully audiences agree, as this is the one of the first appearances of Torrence in a major studio release. It seems like the cast has a chemistry that will be entertaining. With an excessively contrived script, it ends up being Baruchel’s responsibility to unlock the potential of this film. He expressed modesty in regard to this being his first major lead role, and the impact the film might make in pop culture and beyond.
“I think it might be the DVD kind of thing that gets passed around a lot … maybe a cult classic,” Baruchel said.
Eager viewers rooting for the romantic underdog can catch “She’s Out of My League” in theaters March 12.
