VOD Spotlight: Alice Eve is the “hard 10” of “She’s Out of My League”

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Jay Baruchel and Alice Eve in "She's Out of My League"

Can an average Joe and a brainy blonde bombshell find true happiness together? That’s the question at the center of the romantic comedy She’s Out of My League. When airport security agent Kirk (Jay Baruchel) catches the eye of a stunning party planner named Molly (Alive Eve), no one can believe it’s really happening — especially him.

Part of the reason Kirk doubts himself comes from his pals’ “fool-proof” system of calculating a person’s romantic potential. Actor T. J. Miller, whose character Stainer is the ultimate arbiter of the rating system, explains the complex algorithms that form its basis.

It begins with a simple one to 10 rating system, with 10 being the best, and one the worst. A select few, like Molly, are “hard 10s,” which means they really have no drawbacks.

From that initial number, Stainer applies exemptions, add-ons and deductions. What kind of car do you drive? If you drive a crummy car, that’s going to deduct a point-unless you’re an artist because you’re expected to have a bad car. A guy can get a point bump for being in a band or dressing cool or doing a little manscaping. Based on Stainer’s calculations, Kirk is a five (that beat-up Neon he drives works against him), which puts Molly well outside the permissible two-point range.

“Personally I would never rate women on a number system,” says Miller. “I have my own rating system. To me, women should be rated on an alphanumeric code. For instance, some women would be an 849B.”

The filmmakers were looking far and wide for the right actress for the “hard 10” role of Molly, until director Jim Field Smith suggested they meet Alice Eve. “We needed someone to play a fantastically good-looking girl who is also vulnerable and likable,” he says. “She immediately jumped into my mind as someone who’d be great for it.”

Although flattered, Eve says she did have some reservations about being cast as the “perfect” woman. “I’ve never felt under so much pressure in my entire life,” she says. “It’s an incredibly tenuous position to be in.”

But Eve, who had previously done a series of dramatic roles, welcomed the opportunity to play a lighter character. “I love a romantic comedy,” she says. “Who doesn’t? They’re the chocolate of the film world. And I love my character. She is a real person and she’s just straight down the line a good girl. I don’t often get a script where the girl is just so lovely. I couldn’t believe how favorably the script dealt with women.”

“She’s Out of My League” is now showing on Video On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.

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© 2010 DreamWorks LLC. Credit: Darren Michaels