Directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris reunite for the first time since their indie gem Little Miss Sunshine broke box office records with a new romantic comedy about love, writing and romantic expectations.

Calvin (Paul Dano) is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby, who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby (Zoe Kazan) sitting on his couch in the flesh about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person.

Updating the Pygmalion concept for the modern world might sound too twee for words, but with Dano and Kazan giving it their all, this turns into a layered examination of how complicated love and relationships can be, even if they stem from the imagination. With a cast that includes Steve Coogan, Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas and Elliott Gould gamely filling out the background, Ruby Sparks comes to life in the most charming of ways.