What's Your Number?

Director: Mark Mylod
Writers: Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allen, Kathryn Bosnak (author)
Starring: Anna Faris, Chris Evans
Release Date: September 30, 2011
Length: 1 hour 46 minutes

    Starting with her breakthrough in the enormously successful Scary Movie films, Anna Faris has proved herself to be one of the funniest women in Hollywood in the last ten years, but has done so always in the same mocking role. In Scary Movie, she nailed playing the dumb naïve teenager in the center of a murder mystery. In Just Friends, Faris made us laugh as an idiotic talentless pop star and in The House Bunny, although she was hilarious, Faris yet again just played the dumb blonde. Though her new film, What’s Your Number?, may not be a cinematic masterpiece, it’s the first film where we get to see the talented Faris be funny, playing a normal smart character.

    Ally Darling is a thirty something marketer who has just been fired from her job when she reads a magazine article stating that women who have slept with twenty or more people cannot get a husband. After she is finished writing her list of guys she’s been with, Ally realizes she is at nineteen and decides to look through all her old boyfriends to find the one. She enlists the help of her attractive but sleazy neighbour Colin (Chris Evans), who comes from a family of cops who can easily track people down. He agrees to help her, if he can hide in her apartment while the girls he slept with the night before wake up and leave his apartment. While Ally reconnects with all of her old flames, she realizes why they broke up in the first place and becomes frustrated with her failed plan. As Ally and Colin continue to search for the one that got away, they become much closer and Ally realizes her solution could be right in front of her. Who could have known?

    Being an optimist and someone who takes joy in bad but enjoyable romcoms, I, more often than not, take myself to these films that look poorly written but cute. For the last – almost two years - I have gone to these films with hopefulness and walked out completely unrewarded, shielded from enjoying the light romance of the film by unbearable acting and/or embarrassing writing.

    However, for the first time in a quite a while, I have been rewarded. That’s right, What’s Your Number? has successfully broken the streak of depressingly unenjoyable romcoms. It has all the qualities, humor, romance, two attractive stars and an unrealistic story and plot. Avoiding the fact that Ally has just been fired and is flying around finding each boyfriend without worrying about money or that Colin, who spends all his time eating, playing the guitar or stalking people, is unexplainably extremely fit, you can totally enjoy this movie.

   You can give in to Anna Faris’ adorable and funny performance as Ally Darling, a very uncoordinated clever modern woman. Faris holds her own strongly throughout the movie and usually blinds you from her character’s annoying and usually plot-driven flaws, like being delusional enough in the first place to perform this plan from beginning to end. She shares that perfect romcom chemistry with the beautiful Chris Evans, combining the funny dialogue that easily bounces off each other, and their sweet romantic chemistry as well. Evans, who may have come off to some as too intense or overdramatic in this summer’s Captain America: The First Avenger, is extraordinarily charming and easily convincing as the contemporary womanizer, Colin.

    Ari Graynor, who made me laugh the hardest in 2008’s Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist as Kat Denning’s best friend Caroline, does not have as much of a good script to work with in What’s Your Number?, but is still equally lovely. She plays Ally’s younger engaged sister, who thinks her endeavour is absolutely ridiculous. The men playing Ally’s exes are hilarious, including Faris’ real-life husband Chris Pratt, who is hilarious on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, SNL’s Andy Samberg, The Office (UK)’s Martin Freeman, The Hurt Locker’s Anthony Mackie, and comedian Thomas Lennon.

   With the importantly enjoyable cast, What’s Your Number provides a solid amount of laughs for you to feel satisfied by the not only sappy movie that you paid thirteen bucks for. If you are willing to look past the unlikely plot, let yourself laugh at some immature jokes, and simply immerse yourself in the cheese, What’s Your Number? is definitely for you.