Line #40 Film/ShesOutOfMyLeague


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shes_out_of_my_league_poster_1.jpg]]
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3	''She's Out of My League'' is a 2010 American RomanticComedy. It was directed by Creator/JimField Smith and written by Creator/SeanAnders and Creator/JohnMorris.
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5	The premise starts simple enough: boy (Kirk (Creator/JayBaruchel)), an airport security agent) meets girl (Molly (Creator/AliceEve)), an event planner), and through a series of circumstances end up falling in love. But Molly's very attractive, while Kirk doesn't consider himself much of a catch -- and neither do his friends, who pick at him for being luckier than they think he deserves. Thus he's scared of losing her, even before her gorgeous ex-boyfriend Cam (Creator/GeoffStults) steps in on the scene and declares that he will do all in his power to get her back.
6	----
7	!!Has examples of:
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9	* AbusiveParents: Not abusive, necessarily, but really dismissive of Kirk's feelings. They show Kirk [[TheUnfavorite much less affection than they do for his brother]], they side with his ex-girlfriend after she dumps him (to the point of inviting her on family vacations), and his dad buys a pool instead of sending Kirk to college.
10	* ActorAllusion: Kirk's brother Dylan asks Molly if they're together because she "hit his car", which is a reference to Alice Eve's role in the 2006 drama ''Film/CrossingOver'' as an illegal immigrant forced into a relationship with an immigration agent (played by Creator/RayLiotta) after hitting his car. Additionally, Alice Eve also had a role in a biographical drama about Stephen Hawking, who is mentioned in the discussion about real-life [[UglyGuyHotWife Ugly Guy, Hot Girlfriend]] couples.
11	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Subverted for Molly, most likely as a result of WrongGuyFirst. She states she wanted to date Kirk because she was tired of bad boys/cocky "hot" guys and the fact she was tired of guys putting her a pedestal that she could not live up to. Not to mention her last boyfriend Cam cheated on her.
12	* AlliterativeName: For both Kirk (Kettner) and Molly ([=McCleish=]).
13	* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Kirk's classless and perverted white trash family.
14	* AmicableExes: By the third act, Marnie's broken up with Ron to resume her relationship with Kirk. He's still on good enough terms with her to go on the plane trip to Branson.
15	* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: To some extent. When Molly is going through airport security, Kirk's the only one who's polite to her and doesn't attempt to make sleazy passes at her (which she's probably become used to by this point).
16	* BetaCouple: Subverted with Stainer and Patty - they go from loathing each other to... loathing each other, only [[TeethClenchedTeamwork co-operating]] for the benefit of their respective best friends.
17	* BettyAndVeronica: Kirk is the Betty and Molly's ex, Cam, is the Veronica for Molly's Archie, while Molly and Marnie play with the Betty and Veronica stereotypes for Kirk.
18	%%* BigFriendlyDog: Molly's dog.
19	* BiggerIsBetter: Jack pulls out a ''massive'' wrench to [[spoiler:stop the plane]].
20	* BiggerIsBetterInBed: Kirk's rival, Cam, is already taller, better-looking, and more successful than Kirk, but the real kicker comes when he gets into his plane and they see his handle painted on the side, which is "Foot Long".
21	* BigThinShortTrio: Kirk's friends: Devin (big), Stainer (tall and thin) and Jack (short).
22	* BrickJoke: Early on, as Molly chooses a dress for her first date with Kirk, her DumbBlonde sister Cathy considers buying a very tacky dress. Later, when Kirk brings Molly to a family gathering, his ex Marnie appears at lunch wearing the same dress, trying to one-up Molly.
23	%%* BromanticFoil: Kirk's friends, but especially Steiner.
24	* CrossingTheBurntBridge: Kirk near the end on an airplane finally loses his temper and tells his family what he thinks of them calling them all out, but when he tries to leave the stewardess informs him the hatch has already been closed and can't leave, forcing him to spend the flight with the family he just disowned.
25	* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Molly's father, a veteran pilot, doesn't approve of Kirk, so much so that Molly has to lie that Kirk's in aviation. Averted for Molly's ex Cam, who's also a pilot.
26	* DiggingYourselfDeeper: One of Kirk's friends, who is happily married, gets a little obsessed when he hears that a woman other than his wife finds him attractive.
27	* DumbBlonde: Molly's sister. She has no tact, shows up at a social event with a see-through shirt, then proceeds to mix the drinks on a tray she's carrying and drinks them herself. She also picks food off the ground and puts it back onto the same tray, after which she offers it to the guests, absent-mindedly informing them the food has been dropped. She also has a taste for clothes like Kirk's ex, which is not flattering at all.
28	* DysfunctionalFamily: Kirk's family actively try to embarrass him and are deeply incredulous at him going out with Molly. His brother specifically enjoys tormenting him, even though they are both grown adults. They also "practically adopted" his ex who manipulates him, ''and'' her new boyfriend.
29	* DysfunctionJunction: Kirk''s four friends:
30	** Kirk can't get over his bitchy and manipulative ex-girlfriend. Then he's too insecure when he gets together with Molly.
31	** Stainer's girlfriend dumped him because he was afraid of not being good enough for her, but he didn't realize it (until she spelled it out for him afterwards) and ended up believing in the scale system.
32	** Devon gushes about how HappilyMarried he is, but gets too excited when a woman at a party thinks he's hot.
33	** Jack slept with Devon's wife.
34	* EmbarrassingNickname: Stainer originally had this, but Kirk told him to [[AppropriatedAppelation adopt the nickname]] so it couldn't be used against him.
35	* FanDisservice: Kirk's scene shaving his genitals (although nothing is seen). For one, he [[GroinAttack cuts himself]] ''twice''.
36	* FatAndSkinny: Kirk and his brother; Dylan is fat, Kirk is skinny.
37	* FatBastard: Kirk's brother Dylan is a heavyset bully (it isn't said who's older between him and Kirk).
38	* FeetFirstIntroduction: The first thing we see of Molly is her feet as she steps out of a Taxi.
39	* FlippingTheBird: Kirk’s brother does this after Kirk’s TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
40	* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: Kirk and his friends.
41	** Stainer: The Cynic, since he believes that Kirk and Molly will not work out.
42	** Devin: The Optimist, who is confident that Kirk will succeed.
43	** Kirk: The Realist, who is the middle ground between Stainer and Devin.
44	** Jack: The Apathetic, who has the least involvement in the story.
45	* FruitCart: There's a chase scene of sorts, in the airport, using those little electric carts. Even in the absence of fruit, they work in a fruit cart collision.
46	* GiveGeeksAChance: This might seem like the whole premise, but the film plays with the nuances and even deconstructs some of the mentality behind this trope.
47	* GoingCommando: Molly claims to be doing this in one scene, but it's likely she was lying to avoid having to swim with Kirk's brother. [[spoiler:Later in the movie we learn that she does, indeed, wear underwear when she strips down to her bra and panties in front of Kirk.]]
48	* GreenEyedMonster: Marnie has this when she sees that her ex got a beautiful girlfriend. She immediately pulls out the gift that Kirk made for her and tries to throw their old relationship in Molly's face.
49	* GroinAttack: Kirk's brother gets hit in the crotch with a hockey puck.
50	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Beautiful blonde Molly is shown as being easy-going, optimistic and loving Kirk for who he is.
51	* HeadTurningBeauty: Molly is introduced doing a SupermodelStrut while several males are DistractedByTheSexy in succession.
52	* HiddenDepths: Kirk is surprised when Molly not only understands what's going on at the hockey game but actually seems to understand ''more'' than him. In a deleted scene, she also gives him tips for the move that wins him the game with Dylan, as he had no strategy but [[AttackAttackAttack hit as hard as he can]]. It's implied [[NeverASelfMadeWoman she knows so much about hockey because she dated the player who bumped into the fence in front of her during the game]].
53	--> '''Scott Reese''': ''[bumps into the fence]'' Hi Mol!
54	--> '''Kirk'''; Scott Reese knows you?
55	--> '''Molly''': ''[[[DoubleEntendre pinching gesture]]]'' [[TeenyWeenie A little.]]
56	* HomemadeSweaterFromHell: Kirk's family all wear yellow sweatshirts stamped with "Branson Bound" on their weekend getaway and force Kirk into one too. He's really happy to take it off[[spoiler: when his friends stop the plane.]]
57	* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Stainer is boisterous and flamboyant, which serves as a (flimsy) façade to hide his loads of insecurities, which his ex points out.
58	* InsecureLoveInterest: Kirk, who attempts to sabotage his own relationship with Molly more than once because he can't get over his disbelief that a gorgeous woman is really interested in him.
59	* InstantSeduction: Jack seduces Molly's sister in a deleted scene, on her own birthday party no less
60	--> '''Jack''': I'm Jack by the way. I'm a F-16 pilot.
61	--> '''Kathy''': You're TSA... I'm not going to sleep with you! ''(leaves)''
62	--> ''{{Beat}}''
63	--> '''Jack''': In 2... 1...
64	--> ''[Kathy comes back and takes a swig of his beer.]''
65	* JerkAss: Kirk's psycho ex and everyone in his family, minus his mother.
66	* JerkJock: Molly's ex, Cam, is a cocky, macho (callsign: Foot Long) pilot who belittles Kirk for being stuck as airport security. He employs DirtySocialTricks such as pretending to mistake Kirk for either waitstaff or Molly's gay friend to humiliate him, then lets slip that Molly has some defect so that Kirk's insecurities make him curious and ruin his and Molly's relationship.
67	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Stainer. He's aggressive and brash, but he gets this way when he tries to protect his friends.
68	* JizzedInMyPants: Poor Kirk. While Molly is rubbing up against him in his lap as they kiss, he gets so aroused he loses control and ejaculates. [[spoiler:To make things even worse it happens literally seconds before Molly's parents enter the room. The dog also licks Kirk's crotch, which is wet with his jizz. Yuck.]]
69	* KickTheSonOfABitch: Stainer acts rude to a lot of people, but sometimes you can't help but root for him, because some of them (like Marnie and Fuller, the gang's sleazy boss) really deserve it.
70	* LightFeminineDarkFeminine: Molly, who is blond, optimistic and easy-going, and Patty, who is dark-haired, snarky and cynical.
71	* LowerClassLout: Kirk's family (as well as his ex and her new boyfriend) who are all (except for his mother) shallow, petty and boorish people. Kirk has some of those habits as well, like excessive swearing, but he makes a bigger deal out of it than he should.
72	* ManChild: Devin, who is naïve and unironically quotes Disney fairy tales. In a different way, Stainer who's immature and brash, lashes out at anyone who isn't his friends and has some shallow and even toxic beliefs.
73	* MetalDetectorCheckpoint: Naturally, there's one at the airport where Kirk works, where one perverted airport security guard sets off the metal detector when pretty women pass through it to force them to undress. When he tries doing it to Molly, Kirk intervenes on her behalf, which is how the two first meet.
74	%%* MsFanservice: While Molly is meant to be the de facto centerpiece of the MaleGaze, Creator/KrystenRitter (Molly's friend, Patty) and Creator/LindsaySloane (Kirk's ex, Marnie) also bring a fair bit of hotness to the table.
75	* NiceGuy:
76	** Kirk. He's kind and doesn't act creepy toward Molly, which is why she's initially attracted to him.
77	** Cam [[BitchInSheepsClothing uses this guise]] to plant in Kirk's head the idea that Molly has some sort of defect.
78	* NoodleIncident: Stainer.
79	-->'''Stainer:''' I am an insane motherfucker! ''You know that from the break room!''
80	* OverreactingAirportSecurity: Kirk and Stainer's manager tries to hold up Molly, obviously because of her attractiveness, but Kirk gets him to stop.
81	* PolitenessJudo: Molly never sinks down to the level of Kirk's family with their crude remarks and lowbrow jokes. She maintains a calm, polite demeanor the entire time and occasionally drops some politely veiled retort (such as bluffing about wearing no underwear or telling Dylan and Debbie what commission she would take for planning their supposedly expensive wedding they were bragging about, which is far more expensive than what they can afford) to shock them into silence. [[NotSoAboveItAll She looks quite pleased with herself when she does it, too.]]
82	* RaceForYourLove:
83	** [[spoiler:A gender-inverted version of this trope. Whereas many romantic comedies end with the man chasing the woman through an airport so that he can declare his love to her before she flies out of his life forever, in this film Molly chases Kirk through the airport. Once Jack is able to force the plane to disembark, Kirk tries to race to her, pursued by Marnie (see next bullet point).]]
84	** Parodied with Marnie, who pursues Kirk out of pure jealousy, knocking him down while he attempts to get to Molly.
85	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Many.
86	** Kirk gives one to his whole family (minus his mom) and Marnie on the plane. He intended to get off the plane but couldn't... and boy were they pissed. It becomes a DeconstructedTrope when the speech doesn't magically win him the situation, so he's stuck with his boorish and angry family members. [[spoiler:At least until his friends stop the plane.]]
87	** Devon also lays into Kirk's other friends for both their constant ragging on him and their supposed knowledge about the opposite gender, pointing out that for all their supposed wisdom and experience, they're just jealous and insecure and don't know nearly as much as they pretend:
88	-->'''Devon:''' You know what, Stainer? All it takes is one. Man, you... You guys sit here and talk about relationships but the truth is, I'm the only one here that's married. Yeah, and I'm tired of you guys busting my nuggets 'cause I've only been with one girl. It's 'cause she was the right girl. That's why I married her.
89	** Molly gives one to Kirk, citing each deduction that she sees that would bring him to a "five".
90	-->'''Molly:''' You know what, Kirk? Maybe you're right. Maybe you are a five. You know why? No self-esteem. Deduct a point. Every time someone walks into a room, you compare yourself to them. Deduct a point. You're a smart and talented guy who's afraid to do anything with it. Deduct a point. Um, how are we doing? Oh, oh yeah. Hoping I have a defect that you can work with? Deduct whatever's left!
91	** This is inverted slightly by the fact that Molly lied to her parents about Kirk's line of work and later admits [[spoiler:she asked him out because she thought he was "safe".]]
92	%%* SecondActBreakup
93	* SexinessScore: The premise of the film is the UnequalPairing of Kirk and Molly, with characters often using this trope to point it out, claiming he's a 5 or a six while she's a "hard 10". The tagline of the movie is even "How can a 10 go for a 5?".
94	* ShoutOut: Devon compares Jack to [[Franchise/StarWars Yoda]] and imitates his speech pattern.
95	* SlidingScaleOfBeauty: Molly is considered a perfect 10.
96	* SoBeautifulItsACurse: Molly bemoans being placed on a pedestal as "perfect", when she honestly has plenty of her own hang-ups, insecurities, and flaws. The movie primarily focuses on how it's a bit of a curse from Kirk's point of view, since he has to deal with his own insecurities and the petty jealousy and spite of those around him, which consciously or unconsciously work to sabotage the relationship.
97	* StrawLoser: Kirk may be presented as just an average guy, but he looks great next to assholes like his lecherous boss at the airport and especially his brother, who is fat, dumb, boorish, wears tighty-whities, and is a sore loser. They're the "1"s to Kirk's supposed "5", basically.
98	* SupermodelStrut: Molly's first scene in the airport has her strutting around like a supermodel, which causes [[HeadTurningBeauty several men to turn to stare at her]]. She seems to be doing it unconsciously too, with the intention being to demonstrate to audience how naturally "sexy" she is.
99	* SurroundedByIdiots: Patty reacts like this to everyone that happens to act stupid at some point: the complainer on the plane, Molly's sister, and Stainer. Also, to Kirk at times.
100	* ToxicFriendInfluence: Kirk's friends, family, and ex worsen his self-esteem issues. His mom is the exception in that she's unconditionally supportive and, later, Devon calls out Kirk's friends for punching him down.
101	* UglyGuyHotWife: Hot girlfriend. Molly's ex initially assumes Kirk must be gay for them to be out socially together. Though he really isn't ugly. Other than being skinny, he's fairly attractive. Most everyone else thinks.
102	* TheUnfairSex: The movie explores this. Marnie is treated as completely in the wrong for dumping Kirk and hanging out with his family, only wanting him back when he wants to move on. Molly also admits that [[spoiler:she was unfair to Kirk; even if his insecurities sucked and sabotaged their relationship, she also saw him as a "safe" guy and not for who he really was]].
103	* TheUnHug: Kirk's nasty ex Marnie gives him an awkward hug, (then pushes him away) after he reluctantly gives her his blessing to accompany his family on a trip ''with her new boyfriend.''
104	* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: That's what he said.
105	* WhatTheHellHero: Molly calling out Kirk on his self-confidence and insecurity issues.
106	* WomanScorned: Marnie only starts chasing Kirk because Molly shows interest in him.
107	* WouldHitAGirl: Kirk hits Marnie over the head when she tries to chase him down at the airport, and ends up knocking her down from a baggage cart. Granted, she was [[WomanScorned rabid and was trying to beat him down]].
108	* WrongGenreSavvy: Stainer seems to attempt deiberately invoking BelligerentSexualTension with Patty. She's genuinely repulsed.
109	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: The aesop.

Context Film / ShesOutOfMyLeague