I have officially removed Ruby Sparks from my list of films with strong potential this year. Why? There are many reasons, including some erratic editing by Pamela Martin that reminds me too much of Being John Malkovich. Other problems concern the screenplay credited to actress Zoe Kazan, who tries balancing situations on a tightrope with a devil-may-care attitude.

Author Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) has one great book behind him and nothing written for a follow-up. Yet, he confesses to his shrink, Dr. Rosenthal (Elliott Gould), that he keeps dreaming about a girl, Ruby Sparks (Kazan). After one dream inspires him to write about her, she comes to life.

Upon revealing the story’s inherent novelty value, Kazan shows she has nowhere to go with it. Ruby Sparks comes across as a frustrating odyssey, its narrative logic too loose to sustain itself for a feature length. After 50 minutes, you may begin to wonder what hidden agenda the writer has up her sleeve.

Too much suspension of disbelief or plots requiring a leap of faith can leave me feeling uneasy. A romantic comedy doesn’t need such complexity when simplicity feels like the order of the day. Kazan over-extends herself both as a writer and thespian.

The only positive thing about Ruby Sparks involves Dano’s tendency to lighten up, something he failed to accomplish in Little Miss Sunshine. All of this seems academic given that directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris latch onto bizarre notions over unembroidered content. (Capsule review)

(Released by Fox Searchlight and rated "R" by MPAA.)