'What's Your Number?' (Mark Mylod, 2011) Review and Anna Faris Q&A

Do you looooooove Rom-Coms? Do you looooooove Anna Faris? If the answer is yes to either, then you can add at least another star to this rating.

For me, rom-coms are just too damn predictable and therefore never going to get above a three star rating (unless you're talking unconventional genre spasms like 500 Days of Summer).

However taking into account I don't like rom-coms, this is the highest rating one of these films will get from me. Anna Faris is extremely likeable as ever and Chris Evans is very funny and probably a perfect specimen of man in the eyes of many an audience member.

Watch the trailer and you'll know how it ends but the journey provides the kind of rude laughs and romantic moments in iconic locations that are becoming ever more familiar in the modern rom-com.

Like the recent Friends With Benefits (not bad) and the hilarious Bridesmaids, What's Your Number? is ruder and funnier than many older rom-coms with hand-job jokes, potty-mouthed dialogue and a female character who is liberated, crude and played by a star who is definitely not too shy or vain to embarrass herself.

As Faris' character searches for the perfect man among her twenty ex-lovers, cameos from Martin Freeman and Andy Samberg maintain interest but it's Faris and Evans that provide the real laughs and chemistry.

Nothing new if you're not a rom-com fan but ticks all the boxes for the target audience and keeps the genre headed in a dirtier direction. It's out 30th September 2011.



And for the record Anna Faris attended a Q&A after the screening I was at and seemed like a lovely, humble, self-effacing lady. She was very funny and down-to-earth and a pleasure to be in the presence of.

I asked her about 'The Dictator' and working with Sacha Baron Cohen. She could not say much about the film but said that the shoot was 'wild' and that the film will offend 'everybody'. She also mentioned that there was a lot of opportunities for improvisation. So no surprises there but still great to hear her enthusiasm for the film. I can't wait!

What's Your Number? Screening

Thanks again to the wonderful folk at LOVEFiLM, tomorrow I'm going to a screening of the uber-conventional looking rom-com starring Anna Faris, What's Your Number? Check the trailer here:



It will be followed by a Q&A with Anna Faris which is definitely the highlight of the evening. A chance to inquire about the crudest joke in the Scary Movie franchise? Perhaps I could ask about the delights of working with Rob Schneider on The Hot Chick. Her co-stars in this latest film include Martin Freeman (the new Bilbo Baggins!) and Chris Evans (he's only Captain America!). Maybe I could ask about them?

I think Anna Faris is a very talented comic actress and would love to see her tackle a serious role. She's always given it her all in the 'Scary Movies' and was also very likeable in 'Friends' but actors in comedies often have so much more to give than their knack for splitting sides. Perhaps I'll see if she's got any plans to go for awards one day.

But her upcoming project I'm most excited about is The Dictator. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen and apparently loosely based on a book by Saddam Hussein, this should be huge if director Larry Charles can keep the Borat/Bruno magic alive! So I'll probably see if Ms Faris can spill any beans on that. Here's hoping I even get to ask her a question. Wish me luck!