What's Your Number?
Ally is a woman who has many ex-boyfriends who turned out to be losers. Now she believes that she can't find a good guy. But when she runs into one of her exes who is now a 'Prince Charming', she decides to look up all of her exes to see if any of them have changed for the better. When she has trouble locating them, she asks her neighbor Colin, who sleeps with a different women every night and sneaks out the morning after to avoid talking to them, to help her.
Working with a moderate budget of $20.0M, the film achieved a steady performer with $30.4M in global revenue (+52% profit margin).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
What's Your Number? (2011) exemplifies precise dramatic framework, characteristic of Mark Mylod's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 10-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 46 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.7, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Ally Darling attends her sister's engagement party, appearing happy but clearly single and searching. Her carefree, serial-dating lifestyle is established through flashbacks of her many ex-boyfriends.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 13 minutes when Ally reads a magazine article stating that women who have had more than 20 sexual partners have almost no chance of getting married. She counts and realizes she's at exactly 20, causing panic about her romantic future.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The Collapse moment at 77 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, At her sister's wedding, Ally discovers Jake is shallow and wrong for her. Worse, she realizes she's in love with Colin but pushed him away. When she goes to his apartment, she sees him with another woman. Her chance at real love seems dead., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Ally races to find Colin and declare her feelings. She confronts her fears about not being enough and embraces vulnerability. She finds him, confesses her love, and they commit to a real relationship based on accepting each other completely., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
What's Your Number?'s emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 10 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping What's Your Number? against these established plot points, we can identify how Mark Mylod utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish What's Your Number? within the comedy genre.
Mark Mylod's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Mark Mylod films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. What's Your Number? takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Mark Mylod filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Mark Mylod analyses, see The Menu.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Ally Darling attends her sister's engagement party, appearing happy but clearly single and searching. Her carefree, serial-dating lifestyle is established through flashbacks of her many ex-boyfriends.
Theme
Ally's sister Daisy says, "You can't keep running from guy to guy. At some point you have to figure out who you really are." The theme of self-worth vs. validation through relationships is stated.
Worldbuilding
Ally's world is established: she's impulsive, desperate for love, works in marketing, lives in Boston. She sleeps with her boss after getting fired, adding to her number. We meet neighbor Colin Shea, a womanizing musician.
Disruption
Ally reads a magazine article stating that women who have had more than 20 sexual partners have almost no chance of getting married. She counts and realizes she's at exactly 20, causing panic about her romantic future.
Resistance
Ally debates what to do about her number. She resists adding to it and decides her perfect husband must be one of her exes. Her friends are skeptical. She considers tracking down her past boyfriends but isn't ready to commit.
Act II
ConfrontationPremise
The fun and games: Ally tracks down exes with Colin's help. Comic set pieces include reuniting with a puppeteer, a British businessman, a politician, and others. Each encounter reveals why they didn't work out and highlights Colin's genuine compatibility.
Opposition
Ally pursues Jake while her connection with Colin deepens despite her denial. Colin becomes jealous. Ally changes herself to fit Jake's ideal, abandoning her true self. The pressure builds as her sister's wedding approaches and Ally realizes Jake might not be right.
Collapse
At her sister's wedding, Ally discovers Jake is shallow and wrong for her. Worse, she realizes she's in love with Colin but pushed him away. When she goes to his apartment, she sees him with another woman. Her chance at real love seems dead.
Crisis
Ally processes her loss and recognizes her mistake. She realizes she was chasing an arbitrary number instead of authentic connection. Her dark night involves accepting that she sabotaged something real because of her insecurity.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
Ally races to find Colin and declare her feelings. She confronts her fears about not being enough and embraces vulnerability. She finds him, confesses her love, and they commit to a real relationship based on accepting each other completely.