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3 Stars

Emma Stone and Jeff Daniels shine in this quirky dramedy. Ryan Reynolds is a fun enhancement to the cast, playing Captain Excellent. He is a super-hero, but only exists in Daniels’ imagination. Daniels plays Richard Dunn, an insane writer with a bad case of writer’s block. After his wife kicks him out of the house and sends him off to live in a beach house on Long Island, he hires a teenager, Abby (Emma Stone), as a babysitter. But he has no kids. She’s there to watch him. They bond over similar life problems such as Abby’s boyfriend and Richard’s wife. This brings them closer and closer to the inevitable romantic entanglement.

An amusing tale, but sometimes seeming a little contrived. Stone, Daniels and Reynolds easily glide into their characters, which more than makes up for it. A good companion piece to Daniels’ The Answer Man in which he also portrays a crazed writer.

Director: Michele Mulroney, Kieran Mulroney
Stars: Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds