Playing It Cool

A screenwriter who does not believe in love is hired to write a romantic comedy and cannot make progress on the script. While avoiding his work, he attends a charity event and meets a woman he is immediately drawn to. She matches his humour and intelligence, but she is engaged and preparing to marry someone else. He sets out to win her over, drawing on his imagination, the help of his friends and advice from his grandfather, while trying to be honest about what he actually feels.

Justin Reardon directed the film from a screenplay by Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair. Chris Evans plays the narrator, with Michelle Monaghan as the woman he pursues. Topher Grace appears as his friend Scott, alongside Aubrey Plaza, Luke Wilson and Martin Starr in a credited cast of 22. McG, Mary Viola and Nicolas Chartier produced the film, which runs 94 minutes.

Released in 2014, the film is a comedy and romance set in the United States. Its worldwide box office came to about 1 million USD, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 5.9/10 from 32,000 votes, and on TMDB it also sits at 5.9/10, from 822 votes, so the two audience scores agree closely. A critics' rating of 3.9/10 from 28 reviews places it below those audience scores.