Writer’s block can be a tough obstacle to overcome, especially when you’re also lacking a muse for inspiration. But such is the case with Calvin (Paul Dano), a modern-day J.D. Salinger who was catapulted to the top of the literary world after dropping out of high school and writing one of America’s most celebrated contemporary novels. Now celebrating the tenth anniversary edition of his acclaimed book, Calvin feels ever increasing pressure from his friends, family, agent and publisher to break out of his reclusive spell and write another book.

Calvin (Paul Dano) hides from the product of his imagination in "Ruby Sparks" (photo by Merrick Morton)

Then Calvin suddenly starts having dreams about a cute redhead whose irresponsibility and character flaws make her all the more adorable. He begins putting these endearing qualities to paper and before long he realizes he’s falling for this imaginary girl. But when he wakes up one day to find the girl of his dreams in his kitchen cooking him breakfast, he thinks he has finally gone mad. Previously convincing himself that the mysterious appearance of women’s undergarments and other strange items have been the result of his dog digging through the neighbor’s garbage is one thing. But when there’s a living, breathing fictional character standing in front of you as if everything you’ve written about her has actually happened, that’s a little harder to explain.

But there she is. Ruby Sparx (Zoe Kazan, who also wrote the screenplay), the somewhat wild-spirited painter who sometimes forgets to open her mail. The girl Calvin’s brother (Chris Messina) says sounds unbelievable on paper, but who is unbelievably real when she is cooking him dinner a few days later. Once Calvin gets over the initial shock of his situation, he then struggles with how to handle such power. His brother suggests he have as much fun as possible with the scenario, pointing out that Calvin could make her boobs bigger. But Calvin takes the ethical route and decides to stop writing about Ruby.

Calvin (Paul Dano) and Ruby (Zoe Kazan) have a very real relationship moment in "Ruby Sparks" (photo by Merrick Morton)

As Spider-Man has taught us, with great power comes great responsibility. And when Calvin’s relationship with Ruby progresses into the inevitable stages of her needing more space and wanting to be independent, Calvin can’t help but “fix” the situation with a few quick clicks of his typewriter. But just like any real relationship with a real person, working through such times is never as simple as he’d like it to be. And even with the ability to change Ruby’s actions and personality traits, she is still human, which means she still sometimes has inexplicable mood swings, can be desperately needy and might just strip down to her underwear at a friend’s party.

In much the same way that Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (and, to a lesser degree, Total Recall) illustrated the philosophical struggles that come with the ability to pick and choose things such as human emotions, damaged egos and the natural progression of relationships (even under such unnatural circumstances), Ruby Sparks takes a similarly humorous look at the complicated subjects of human interaction and companionship. Like most any relationship, there are some fun times, some dark times and some mundane times. And even with the literal luxury of starting over, erasing the past or creating a new future, Calvin realizes certain things are inevitable and life often comes full circle.

Ruby Sparks. Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Starring Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan. Rated R. www.makerubyreal.com.