What Do The Critics Say?

"Beware, this movie references penises and vaginas with reckless abandon. But despite the frankness and stupidity of the screenplay, there is something that touches the essence of romantic comedy here. Chris Evans is actually fabulous as the putative matchmaker, and there is something really attractive about Anna Faris as Ally, she has that mesmerizing mobile mouth that distracts but her presence is actually totally winning. She's a klutz but a loveable one. And truths emerge. 3 1/2 stars." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "Judging by the wave of Hollywood romantic comedies, there's still plenty of anxiety around the question of how much sex women should be having, and with whom. The latest to have her morals assessed is Ally, who realises in her 30s she has had many more lovers than the national average. Still, it's hard to dislike any vehicle for Faris: the slob's Marilyn Monroe; with her gift for dejection and her pliable face, which is like a hastily drawn cartoon. Her recital of 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly' in the world's worst cockney accent is a joy." Jake Wilson THE AGE "Like Bridesmaids before it, What's Your Number is a wonderfully funny comedy that shows young women in their real environment, competing with themselves. Comic actress Anna Faris (the Scary Movie franchise) stars in this fast-paced, snarky and sometimes shocking romantic comedy based on Karyn Bosnak's bestselling novel 20 Times a Lady." Karen Krizanovich RADIO TIMES

"Like "The House Bunny" several years ago, Anna Faris is the spark that makes "What’s Your Number?" work to a tiny degree. Everything about "What’s Your Number?" is predictable, but in the formula of a light romantic comedy, this is actually okay. No one expects major plot twists and surprises in these movies. They’re made as cinematic pulp, and on the surface, it works for "What’s Your Number?" Were this film made with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, it would be excruciating. But Faris and Evans make it surprisingly enjoyable." Kevin Carr 7M PICTURES "Faris is a rare talent: beautiful as a porcelain doll with the comic instincts of a first-rate clown, plus a vanity-free willingness to make herself look foolish for a good laugh. She’s never really had a script worthy of her, but at least this one (by Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden, from Karyn Bosnak’s novel) is a step up from Yogi Bear or The Hot Chick. Evans and Faris have a nice rapport, and director Mike Mylod keeps the rest of the cast more or less out of their way." Jim Lane SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEWS "It's all about the essential mystery of casting here, turning what so easily could have been a ho-hum rom-com into breezy, unchallenging fun. As far as silly romantic comedy premises go, this one is pretty hard to beat, yet it is amazing how painlessly and, yes, charmingly it manages to play out, as blithely directed by Mark Mylod and written by Gabrielle Allan and Jennifer Crittenden." David Noh FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The Inside Story "In America, ninety-six percent of women who’ve been with twenty or more lovers can’t find a husband." From the study conducted by Dr Helen Fig. Enter recently downsized (laid-off) Ally, who becomes convinced she's reached the limit of sexual partners a woman can have before she's deemed unmarriageable (except maybe, as Dr. Fig notes, if she lives in New Zealand). With celibacy as a non-starter, Ally embarks on a mission to find a mate, without adding to her number, by seeking the colorful and strange assortment of lovers from her past, she wondering: are they married, available, gay; dead? "Ally begins to realize she's a little lost in life," says Faris. "She's now unemployed, and has a bit of an identity crisis when she realizes that since she's slept with twenty people she may not ever be able to find a husband. It doesn't help that her little sister, who's kind of perfect, is getting married." As an actor and filmmaker, Faris appreciated the story being told from Ally's point of view, in a no-holds-barred way that mixes sex, heart, fun and emotion. "I loved the idea of women getting to play in what right now seems like a man's world," Faris elaborated. "Women can relate to envelope-pushing comedies, just like men can. So I wanted to play in that world as well, where a modern woman can be raunchy and real and gritty with her friends." "Scrubs" producer Gabrielle Allan, who wrote the script with Jennifer Crittenden (TV's "Seinfeld"), describes "What's Your Number" as "the story of a woman who's been living by everybody else's rules for a long time. She finally meets somebody who challenges her to be honest about who she is. Ally comes to accept that she's not like everybody else, and that she has been trying to live up to impossible expectations. It's the story of a woman coming into her own." Several of these story elements and themes are found in the Karyn Bosnak book "20 Times a Lady", upon which the screenplay for the film is based. "I had read somewhere that the average American woman had ten point five sexual partners, but many of the people I had spoken with had higher numbers," Bosnak ("Pretty in the City") recalls. "So I decided to give Ally twice the national average: giving her even more reason to freak out." Ally's dismay at realizing she may have approached some kind of un-magical milestone points to another inviolable truth in the battle of the sexes over: women subtract; men add. Meaning that guys will boast of more sexual conquests than they really had, and women will admit to fewer than the actual number. "Women and men both lie about that number, to anyone and everyone," says Bosnak. "I've done what Ally does in the film," Allan admitted. "I've gone backwards to not raise my number. I really related to Ally even though her quest is crazy and neurotic. It's important to Ally, and I remember it being important to me. I think that a woman keeping track of her number and the reason why she's keeping track, was a fun idea." "Whatever the veracity of a person's number," Bosnak says the story's most important message is being true to oneself. "If you're examining your past, you should never regret the reasons you did certain things, because you can't change them, and all those choices made you who you are." Crittenden remembers "the book made us laugh; it was really funny. It seemed like a perfect premise for a romantic comedy; to go back and rediscover who you've been with. The big challenge was to keep the film from feeling episodic, as Ally runs from guy to guy to guy to guy, so we gave Ally a home base from which she embarks on her adventures. This allows her to spend more time with Colin." Director Mark Mylod, best known for producing and directing several seasons of "Entourage" on HBO, revealed he "was looking to do a romantic comedy but I wanted to do one that had edge, something that was relevant and felt fresh. I was struck by the screenplay's cleverness and humor: it was laugh out loud funny; and I liked that Ally was strong. The theme of Ally finding herself and having the strength to be herself resonated with me." And how did he see the character Ally? "I see Ally as somebody who is trying to find some true connection with a guy but is going about it completely the wrong way by trying to change for them instead of letting them come to her." A key element in keeping things fresh and vital is the dynamic between Ally and her new neighbor Colin, played by Chris Evans. Seeking a haven from the woman he's brought home the night before, Colin comes to Ally's rescue when she tries to disentangle herself from her booze-riddled mistake of the night before. Ally and Colin click, and even though Ally's romantic sights are aimed entirely in retrospect, she has found in Colin a new friend and ally. "Ally and Colin enhance each other but don't necessarily live for each other," says Evans. "They've helped each other become better versions of themselves, but they don't need each other to exist." Faris ("My Super Ex-Girlfriend") and Evans ("Captain America: The First Avenger") nicely balance one another, with Evans displaying a sense of grounded, physical stability while Faris provides a series of fluid, deft and comical transitions that always surprise. "When Ally and Colin meet, there’s a lot of tension between them," Faris notes. "Ally’s kind of disgusted with Colin because she sees women coming in and out of his apartment. She thinks he's just this man-whore. Ally wants much more for her own life, so she’s really annoyed when sees somebody who's lackadaisical in their own lifestyle: probably because she's envious. Eventually they come to understand one another." And Colin's background? "Colin comes from a family of cops and detectives, so he's good at digging up dirt. That's why Ally enlists his help. And he's a bit of a womanizer, and is very alpha. He's a likable guy but he's not exactly husband material. But slowly Colin realizes that Ally's the person he's supposed to be with, and that opens a lot more doors for him." Executive producer Nan Morales confirms that Ally and Colin's first meeting is far from auspicious. "When she meets him, the audience will think, 'No, Ally no!' It's like what her friends say: 'You don't want to go out with that guy; he's dangerous, he's sexy, he can trick you.' But this is how Colin lives; he's honest about it. This is a lesson Ally needs to learn; she needs to own who she is in order to go to the next level in her life." "Ally and Colin are different in many, many ways," Mylod ("Ali G Indahouse: The Movie") notes, "but humor brings them together, which happens in a lot of relationships, and I think they have the same intrinsic values." Ari Graynor, who will next be seen in the 20th Century Fox comedy "The Sitter" was cast as Ally's sister Daisy Darling. "Daisy has always stayed on the right path, done the right thing. She has never made any major missteps in her life. Ally is just a little bit more eccentric and sort of marches to the beat of her own drum, but despite their differences, Daisy and Ally really get each other and have this sort of kindred spirit." Blythe Danner, whose work encompasses memorable roles on stage, screen and television, was cast as Ally and Daisy's mother Ava. 1970 Tony award winner Danner ("Butterflies Are Free") says her character is, "a tough cookie, very judgmental, and very tough on Ally . She's not an easy mom." The actors who play the motley bunch of Ally's ex-boyfriends bring to "What"s Your Number?" a wide range of acting styles and experience. These special cameos help define Ally's journey. Who are they? Rick (Zachary Quinto) is a self-absorbed, environmentally aggressive bike rider who makes it clear that he has no interest in furthering his relationship with Ally. Roger (Joel McHale) is Ally's boss, who even after firing her, isn't above trying to seduce her. Roger wears a suit during the day and then changes into another suit when he goes out. He's that guy. Disgusting Donald (Chris Pratt) is the 'ex' whose surprise meeting with Ally triggers her quest to track down past boyfriends. When Donald and Ally first dated, he weighed four hundred pounds. Hence, the nickname. But now he's in great shape: and engaged. Dave Hansen (Mike Vogel) was a magician come bartender, able to charm coins out of a woman's most intimate places. Simon (Martin Freeman) is a 'proper Brit' with whom Ally pretended to be English when they first dated. When Ally and Simon reunite, she must return to her lapsed, rusty English accent: with disastrous results. The there's Gerry Perry (Andy Samberg). He's a puppeteer to whom Ally lost her virginity. When Ally reunites with Gerry, she can't figure out who's more wooden or crazier: Gerry or his puppet. Dr Barrett Ingold (Thomas Lennon) is a gynecologist, who fails to remember or recognize Ally. Until he examines her! Tom Piper (Anthony Mackie) is an ambitious politician with whom Ally is initially delighted to reconnect with, until the politically expedient reason behind Tom's renewed interest in Ally is revealed. Jake Adams (Dave Annable) is rich, handsome, and best of all still a good guy. Is he the one perfect match for Ally? "What's Your Number?" was filmed during the U.S.late spring/early summer of 2010 throughout the historic and romantic city of Boston, where the story is set, and in the seaside town of Gloucester, on Cape Ann in Massachusetts. Ally's apartment, a quirky blend of styles and modern eras, reflects her personality. Production designer Jon Billington ("Ali G Indahouse: The Movie") notes the film "is the story of a woman who isn?t sure of who she is. She's come to a point in her life when she's trying to escape the attachment to her mother, and I was trying to incorporate that into the details of the dressing in her apartment. So Ally has a very eclectic mix of stuff; there are things from her childhood that's been layered over with items from her more recent past. It also was important to establish Ally's connection to Boston. You can almost reach out of her apartment windows and touch the rest of the city. "Still, the city feels slightly out of Ally's reach," notes executive producer Nan Morales ("Freedom Writers"), "and metaphorically that says a lot about who Ally is. She does not quite fit in. Well, not yet, anyway." The filmmakers have certainly embraced the story's edgier elements. "There's no way around the fact that our protagonist has slept with nineteen people; that's pretty edgy for a romantic comedy in and of itself," says producer Tripp Vinson ("The Exorcism of Emily Rose"). "Rather than run away from that, it seemed like a smarter choice to just to embrace it and go for it." With Faris in the lead, I'm sure they'll be hoping cinemagoers wiill embrace "What's Your Number?" too. What's It All About?

Ally Darling has just been made redundant. Now, with time on her hands and having read a magazine article warning that people who have had twenty or more relationships have missed their chance at true loves: she's about to embark on a quest to find the best 'ex' of her life. Ally is an original modern heroine: smart, attractive, funny and romantic; a young woman trying to figure out who she really is; as well as whom she should be with. While her quest to find her best 'ex', or former boyfriend, is triggered by amagazine article, it also signifies something even more intriguing: Ally is at a point in her life when she doesn't have either the husband, job or life she thought she'd have. She is at a crossroad, which leads her to wonder if she has missed something, or someone, important during the past decade. Help comes from an unexpected quarter: her filandering next door neighbour, Colin.

The Verdict "With fun films such as: "Waiting", "The House Bunny", "Scary Movie" franchise, "Just Friends" and "The Hot Chick" to her credit: comedic roles have become a hallmark of likeable, make that loveable, Anna Faris's career. For many, her appearance in the afore-mentioned films has been a saving grace. There's something about her that can an extra spark to even the brightest of films. Over the years Farris has appeared in comedies alongside Rob Schneider, Ryan Reynolds, Luke Wilson and Seth Rogen. This time around she's teamed up with "Captain America" star Chris Evans, in a tale of one womans search (after reading a magazine article), to find twenty men who were her former lovers. As you'd expect it turns into a zany, crazy, search, punctuated with some very funny moments: especially when Ally catches up with her 'ex's'. It's funny. It's a little naughty. Even a little silly. But, it's well worth having a look at. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Anna Faris Chris Evans Ari Graynor Blythe Danner Ed Begley Jr Oliver Jackson-Cohen Heather Burns Eliza Coupe Kate Simses Tika Sumpter Joel McHale Jacquelyn Doucette Chris Pratt Denise Vasi Nadine Jacobson Colby Parsons Zachary Quinto Jason Bowen Danielle Perry Tyler Peck Mike Vogel Martin Freeman Andy Samberg Thomas Lennon

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Ally Darling Colin Shea Daisy Darling Ava Darling Mr Darling Eddie Vogel Eileen Sheila Katie Jamie Roger the Boss Sheila's Mom Disgusting Donald Cara 14 Year Old Ally 14 Year Old Jake Boyfriend Rick Brad Melissa Gene Dave Hansen Simon Gerry Perry Dr Barrett Ingold

The Production Team Directed by Mark Mylod Screenplay by Gabrielle Allan & Jennifer Crittenden Adapted from the novel "20 Times a Lady" by Karyn Bosnak Produced by Beau Flynn & Tripp Vinson Original Music by Aaron Zigman Director of Photography J Michael Muro Film Editing by Julie Monroe Casting by Kathleen Chopin Production Design by Jon Billington Art Direction by David Swayze Set Decoration by Denise Pizzini Costume Design by Amy Westcott Run Time 106 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2011 - Fox Films - All Rights Reserved enduring © - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian & International Copyright, Trademark Laws & Intellectual Property Rights.