Imprecise ‘Number’

It’s easy to like Anna Faris. Seemingly devoid of vanity, she makes wacky, dumb or clumsy characters watchable and even endearing, some forgettable movies notwithstanding. She similarly brings the bubbly blonde Ally Darling to life in the romantic comedy “What’s Your Number?”—it seems tailor-made for her as well, as she has a seeming comfortability with awkward situations. She’s still able to offer necessary depth, despite some scenes that some may find less than flattering.

And it’s a slightly offbeat rom-com role: Ally’s non-stop bombardment of embarrassments stems from her reaction to a fashion magazine article about the average number of sex partners. She tracks down her exes with the help of her ever-flirty musician neighbor Colin (Chris Evans), whom she helps with ditching one-night stands the morning after. She hopes to end up in wedded bliss with one of her former lovers, but she discovers to her dismay that there’s always a dealbreaker.

“What’s Your Number?” is formulaic and predictable; if you’ve seen the trailer, you practically know the sequence of events already. Still, it isn’t dull, as Faris and Evans (not a bad tandem) are joined by Blythe Danner, Faris’ real-life spouse Chris Pratt, Andy Samberg, and Joel McHale, among other actors in small roles.

In true romantic comedy fashion, the touted pairing eventually find themselves falling for each other, but routinely, some lies have to be exposed first. Things subsequently become serious and tedious, but it manages to elicit a few more laughs just before it ends.

It has adequate characterization, making the main characters’ bond appreciable. Faris does well, as usual, Ally’s generally improbable situations aside. And the movie’s silly but often perceptive tackling of the sex issue amuses, even when you already know some of the funniest parts.

“What’s Your Number” opens Oct. 5 in Metro Manila.