Enter Chris Evans' Colin as the womanising slacker across the hall who might as well have 'Main Love Interest' tattooed across his impressively sculpted chest. The character of Colin is another attempt to shatter the stereotype of the usual Prince Charming figure in that he's not successful, nor does he dress well and at the start, he's actually not that nice. Inevitably, the paths of Ally and Colin cross and the pair strike a deal; he'll help her track down all her exes if she'll let him hide out in her apartment whilst waiting for his latest female conquest to leave the building.
Though the film tries hard to not be your stereotypical romantic comedy, it is here that the film falls into its biggest pitfall. After the first meeting of the two leads, just about everyone will spot the ending coming a mile away and the film quickly follows the usual narrative cliches of girl-meets-boy, girl-kisses-boy, boy-upsets-girl, girl-realises-she-liked-boy-all-along.
However, the major problem with this film is the fact it suffers from a huge case of wasted potential. The script has occasional moments that prompt big laughs from the audience but these are lost amongst the sheer volume of penis and vagina jokes that appear throughout. I'm well aware that most new romantic comedies tend to come with a side of raunchiness now but there is a problem when the crude jokes are neither raunchy nor funny.
Similarly, the film has an impressive amount of cameos from talented actors with the likes of Joel McHale, Andy Samberg and Zachary Quinto appearing as Ally's exes. The scene between Ally and Martin Freeman's Simon could have been one of the funniest moments of the film in which Faris performs rather dubious accents but Freeman only really gets to look bemused. As it is, Faris carries the scene well on her own but I can't help wonder just how funny it would have been if the script had given both actors a real opportunity to spark off one another.
Thankfully the film does have a saving grace in the two leads. Evans and Faris have an easy chemistry with each other and manage to keep your interest throughout. I have long been a fan of Anna Faris and she again delivers here. Ally could have easily fallen into the category of another annoyingly self-obsessed woman on a crusade to catch a man but Faris' impressive comedy talents enables Ally to remain adorable throughout. Likewise, Chris Evans brings all his charm to his character, ensuring that the chauvinistic Colin we see at the beginning quickly gives way to a more sympathetic figure who the audience actually roots for, whilst constantly showing off his Captain America physique.
In short, What's Your Number isn't a terrible film nor is it a fantastic film. It certainly isn't the genre buster that it would like to be and that everyone is waiting for. But, thanks to good performances from the leads and a sporadically funny script, it manages to be moderately entertaining.
