Four out of
Five stars
Running time:
107 mins
The premise may be ridiculous and the ending's never in any doubt, but this is still a thoroughly enjoyable and frequently hilarious romcom thanks to a superb script, a colourful supporting cast and strong chemistry (both comic and romantic) between a back-on-form Anna Faris and a frequently shirtless Chris Evans.
What's it all about?
Directed by Mark Mylod, What's Your Number? stars Anna Faris as Ally, a young woman who's just lost both her rubbish boyfriend (Zachary Quinto) and the marketing job she didn't really like. With her younger sister Daisy (Ari Graynor) about to get married, Ally starts to wonder about the direction her life is going in, none of which is helped by reading a women's magazine article that tells her that women who have slept with 20 or more people are much less likely to find a husband.
Realising that she's already at 20, Ally decides to track down and re-evaluate all her exes, in the hopes that one of them will turn out to have been The One all along. And when she discovers that her womanising, frequently shirt-less neighbour Colin (Chris Evans) has some detective skills, she enlists his help in her quest, in return for Colin being able to use her apartment when he's waiting for his latest one-night-stand to leave his flat in the morning.
The Good
Faris is back on top comic form and she's both adorable and sexy (the Yogi Bear trout pout has disappeared), even when she's being ridiculously neurotic – she even manages to sell the film's ludicrous and dodgily judgemental premise. She also has strong chemistry (both comic and sexual) with an equally on form Evans and while there's never any doubt as to where their relationship is going, it's a lot of fun watching them get there.
The film also benefits from some terrific casting, in that Ally's exes are all played by a host of familiar faces, such as Andy Samberg (contributing the funniest sex scene since Team America), Chris Pratt (Faris' real-life husband) and Martin Freeman. The rest of the supporting cast are equally good, particularly Graynor, Blythe Danner (as Ally's ultra-critical mother) and Community's Joel McHale as Ally's ex-boss.
The Great
The dialogue is packed with funny lines and Mylod orchestrates some genuinely hilarious scenes, such as Ally attempting to maintain a British accent when she meets up with Freeman's character. More importantly, the script pulls off the film's emotional climax, despite the fact that it involves several overly familiar romcom clichés.
Worth seeing?
Sharply directed and superbly written, What’s Your Number? is a hugely entertaining, frequently funny romcom, with a terrific comic performance from Anna Faris. Highly recommended.