In the toothless not-quite-satire Ruby Sparks, Paul Dano plays Calvin, a writer who busted out the Great American Novel at age 19—and, 10 years later, has yet to produce a follow-up. A writing assignment from his therapists prompts Calvin to begin writing about his fantasy girl—a bike-riding high-school dropout with long red hair saddled with the unfortunate name Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan). He writes in an inspired frenzy, not stopping to sleep, and then, one morning, the girl he's been imagining materializes in his kitchen. by Alison Hallett