She’s Out of My League

Sex comedies are harder to pull off than it seems. Mostly, they sacrifice any semblance of plot or emotion in favor of cheap and vulgar gags for shock value. Enter ‘She’s Out of My League’, a sex comedy that manages to have plenty of heart and charm while also pleasing its core audience. Sure, it has a number of inspired vulgar gags from the ‘American Pie’ book, but it makes sure they’re backed up by a relatable if predictable storyline.

Kirk Kettner (Jay Baruchel) is an average looking dorky guy with a dead-end job at the airport security. He’s treated badly by this overbearing family and is recovering from his ex dumping him. But one fine morning, extremely hot Molly McCleish (Alice Eve) arrives at the airport. Through work of nature, she leaves her phone behind and Kirk has to return it back. That’s when she asks him out. This throws over his group of friends who rate him a ‘5’ and her ‘10’. Working with strange advice from them and his own nervousness of being her being way out of his league, he struggles to maintain a relationship with her while facing pressure from her ex-boyfriend as well.

Structured as a male romantic fantasy, the film does a great job to make the lead character sympathetic and likeable so we root for him throughout. This is where most sex comedies fail, where characters are mostly secondary to the gags themselves. When Molly arrives into his life, his subsequent awkward moves are entirely relatable due to his situation. His friends throw around ridiculous equations needed to a stable relationship but are no different from our own group of friends. Even the basic idea of someone dating someone way hotter than themselves is very relatable and is tackled hilariously here.

When it comes to sex gags, ‘She’s Out of My League’ is not original. It rips off scenes from the ‘American Pie’ movies a little too much, but tries to add a new angle to it. They’re funny thanks to the actors involved but none of them are really laugh out loud (with the exception of maybe the ‘dog’ scene). It’s too bad though, because I expected the jokes to be different that what other movies had already done before it. Still, this is a sex comedy at its core and that demographic is sure to be satisfied with the gags.

Though the plot moves along well, it is also very predictable. If you’ve seen a single romantic comedy, you already know what’s going to happen. Thankfully, the writers tackle the air of predictability throughout with interesting scenes that provide enough humor to make the proceedings unique. The film also resolves itself in a typical fashion but with an unexpected twist or two. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a comedy that will break out of its genre roots and try something new, this is not it.

The characters really add to the charm of the movie. Jay Baruchel, who’s on a roll lately, is extremely likeable and believable as an average dorky guy with problems. Alice Eve plays a bombshell with great effect and brings the emotion and depth to the character. Both the actors have great chemistry when they are in scenes together. Mike Vogel does a good job at being a Stifler-like comic relief for the film, and each of the other friends entertain. The family members carry scenes of awkwardness perfectly and add a lot of improvisation into the mix. Only the character of the ex comes off as bland and unoriginal.

‘She’s Out of My League’ works as a great date movie a guy can enjoy in a time where bad female-centric romantic comedies are crowded the multiplexes. It has its moments of charm and a sweet message and resolution to it all, and manages to satisfy the sex comedy audience with vulgar yet funny gags. If only it would’ve been more original and less predictable, this could have been a movie for the ages. Yet, it’s a perfectly entertaining comedy that hits its mark.

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