What's Your Number? Review

"What's Your Number?" reviews

Movie

What's Your Number?

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2011-10-03 08:04:05

Rating

3.5/5

Provider

Review

The hype...

The big name in this rom-com is the current Captain America himself, but Chris Evans is not the star of the show. Sprightly Anna Faris, who can be in good comedies ('The House Bunny') as well as appearing in some stinkers ('Observe and Report'), is the leading lady.

The story...

Ally Darling (Anna Faris) is having a bad day. She's just lost her job, is fretting about her sister's wedding and is about to find an article that could potentially ruin her life. The magazine she is reading warns that women who have 20 or more relationships will statistically have missed their shot at true love.

No big deal, because once Ally tots up her number of partners she is relieved to find she is on 19, so the next man she sleeps with will be the one. Unfortunately she ends up getting drunk and spending the night with her ex-boss.

Convincing herself that she will not find happiness unless she tracks down the perfect man from her list of previous partners, Ally enlists the help of neighbour Colin Shea (Chris Evans).

Colin's relaxed attitude to love and sex is one Ally used to share, but now she is determined to change, much to the amusement of her carefree neighbour. The pair strike up an unlikely friendship as the pursuit picks up pace, but spending so much time together means emotions run high and the obvious connection they share could prove to be a huge inconvenience.

The breakdown...

Serving as an executive producer on 'What's your number?’ Anna Faris has found her calling card. She has a unique quirkiness and likeability that makes it impossible to imagine anyone else in the lead role of this film. And what a great role it is.

It's quite a raunchy film, no frothy PG rating here, so it requires Faris to show little embarrassment and total commitment to the cause, something she gamely achieves. Opposite her, Evans is no more than stunt casting, a big old slab of meat, but he does get a few great lines and a chance to show off his quality comedy timing.

The whole film feels very modern, just as the recent 'Friends with Benefits' did, and the relationships on display all ring true to some extent.

The casual flirting between Faris and Evans is something that is easy to identify with, and it's pleasing that the film isn't judgmental in any way. Ally is living her life, having fun and it's her choice to look for the right man. A magazine article might have egged her on, but she knows exactly what she is doing.

There is still plenty of opportunity for slapstick laughs, a great sequence involving Martin Freeman is a definite highlight, but also some witty lines and frank exchanges offer up something more than the average rom-com delivers.

Predictability only comes into play towards the end, when the film feels a bit too long and a touch dragged out (we know from the first few moments where it's all heading). But even then the leading lady is giving it everything she has. We would honestly put this up there with Kristen Wiig's turn in 'Bridesmaids' as a one of the year's best comedy performances.

The verdict...

A real surprise, this sparky romantic-comedy confirms one of our long-held suspicions... Anna Faris is one of the finest comedy actresses in Hollywood. The script is lively, despite it's predictability, with all credit for that going to the leading lady.

Copyright © 2011.