Do the math: “What’s Your Number?”
September 29, 2011
It’s nice to have a romantic comedy where the female lead isn’t a “good girl” who gets screwed over by a “bad boy.” And the emphasis is on the comedy rather than the romantic. Sure, they fall in love, blah blah blah, but it doesn’t make you want to vomit.
“What’s Your Number?” isn’t the funniest movie you’ll ever see, but you’re definitely going to laugh. You might even pee a little.
Anna Faris (“Just Friends,” “The House Bunny”) stars in this romantic comedy as Ally Darling, a recently fired Bostonian looking for “the one.” Problem is, she likes to drink and get laid. After reading a magazine article that says the average number of lovers a woman has is 10.5, Ally counts her lovers: 20. The article also says once a woman has more than 20 lovers, she’s likely to be alone forever.
So Ally enlists the help of her equally whoreish and commitment-phobic neighbor, Colin, who is played by the gorgeous Chris Evans (“Captain America”). When you first meet Colin, he’s wearing nothing but a small towel. Not a bad start. Evans spends 106 minutes shirtless or naked as much as possible, which still isn’t enough.
Ally and Colin’s deal: She will help him get rid of his one-night stands the morning after if he tracks down all 20 of her past relationships. The most important of those exes is Jake Adams: son of a billionaire and her first love.
Colin, whose dad used to be a cop, easily finds almost all Ally’s exes. None are her true love, but Ally still holds out for Jake Adams.
This is where the movie gets quite cliché. Of course, Colin and Ally now spend a lot of time together and, of course, fall in love. However, unlike most movies where the guy turns into a douche bag, Ally is the one who screws this up. She doesn’t want a number 21, and she doesn’t believe Colin has actually changed. So the usual: they fight, he leaves, sad montage, Ally starts dating Jake Adams.
Of course, Jake Adams isn’t the one, Colin is. Ally realizes this at her sister’s wedding and takes a hilarious trip through Boston to find Colin. She finds him, apologizes and all is happy — pretty typical, but nevertheless entertaining and surprisingly hilarious.
Faris is obviously in her niche in comedy, and “What’s Your Number?” doesn’t disappoint. Evans plays his typical sarcastic cool dude, but together they really work. The supporting cast doesn’t hurt either: Zachary Quinto, Joel McHale, Andy Samberg and Chris Pratt will keep you laughing your ass off. You’ll also get acquainted with British actor Martin Freeman, who will be playing Bilbo Baggins in “The Hobbit” movies.
“What’s Your Number?” hits theaters Friday. Go. Seriously. If not for the funny, then for the abs.
Contact Lindsy Neer at [email protected].