Movies

She's Out of My League tackles that old, vaguely sexist Hollywood maxim: that you can be an out-of-shape loser with no prospects, and still land the super-hot girl of your dreams. (Don't believe it's sexist? Then how come there are approximately zero movies where the frumpy woman wins the heart of the handsome, rich, athletic man?) This time around the loser is Kirk (Jay Baruchel), who's stuck in a dead-end job as an airport security guard and hoping to get back together with his bitchy ex Marnie (Lindsay Sloane), more out of singleton desperation than from a genuine desire to be with her. Kirk encounters knock-out blonde Molly (Alice Eve), who inexplicably takes a shine to him. To the surprise of both their friends, the two hit it off and start dating — but can a hottie and a nottie really make it work? Baruchel is an appealingly mumbly hero, and his character Kirk and Eve's Molly are the movie's most likeable characters. But that's a bit of a backhanded compliment, given that almost all the supporting characters are obnoxiously vile and cartoonish, particularly toothy jerk Stainer (T.J. Miller) and the needlessly bitchy Patty (Krysten Ritter). League has its moments — the best scene is the one where Kirk attempts to shave his privates to impress Molly, and it's laugh-out-loud funny even if it is ripped straight from The 40-Year-Old Virgin — but many of the gags fall flat, and the climax is just plain dumb. In one scene Kirk rates himself a five out of 10. It's a score that applies equally to his whole movie.