Whoever the other chick is - she’s wearing some pretty freakin hot shoes.

After two months of what one Witherspoon source calls the actress’ “trying out a courtship” with Jake Gyllenhaal after her painful split from actor Ryan Phillippe, a Gyllenhaaal pal tells Us, “it is a definite romance.”

What else would you expect, says another Witherspoon pal, since the actress became determined to win Gyllenhaal’s heart soon after separating from Phillippe October 30.

“Reese was the pursuer and really wanted to date Jake,” says a pal of the Oscar winner, who costars with her new beau in the just-wrapped drama Rendition.

“She’s known him for a while and thought he was intelligent and charming.”

And the feeling is definitely mutual. “Jake doesn’t want a party girl at all,” says a Gyllenhaal pal, who says the relationship blossomed over DVD and takeout nights at home and long talks about movies.

“Reese is perfect because she understands the business and also the importance of family. Plus, he admires her talent, thinks she is beautiful and he respects her values. He respects everything about her actually.”

Catching the eye and winning the respect of one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors was exactly what Witherspoon, 31, needed after her marriage to Phillippe crashed and burned. “She needed to prove to herself that she was sexy and desirable.”

Source

They’re so cute!

Five months after announcing her split from husband Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon seems to be wading back into the dating pool – with Jake Gyllenhaal, her costar in the upcoming CIA thriller Rendition.

Although the two have been careful to avoid the spotlight, they were spotted March 23 dining with two other couples at L.A.’s Il Sole. “They were cuddling,” an observer tells PEOPLE in its new issue. “It looked very playful.”

And now friends of both say the relationship extends beyond the occasional dinner. “In the last month, they’ve been spending a lot more time together,” says a source close to Gyllenhaal, adding that the actor has even met up with Witherspoon, 31, and her kids – daughter Ava, 7, and son Deacon, 3 – in New York City. At 26, he is five years her junior, but “Jake really likes her and isn’t at all concerned that she has two kids.”

(Gyllenhaal’s rep had no comment; her rep did not return calls.)

Still, Witherspoon isn’t rushing into another high-profile Hollywood relationship, says a source close to the Oscar winner. “[Reese] is still very, very hurt by Ryan and it will take a long time to get over that,” the source explains. “[But she and Jake] have a mutual interest. They are taking it slow and getting to know each other.”

One common point may be their homebody lifestyles. Family-first Witherspoon routinely picks up her kids from school and takes Ava for mommy-and-me manicures. As for Gyllenhaal – who’s uncle to sister Maggie’s 6-month-old daughter Ramona and godfather to Heath Ledger’s 17-month-old Matilda – he’s “very into kids,” says a source.

Although he dated nightlife-loving Kirsten Dunst for nearly two years, “Jake has never been about staying out late partying,” the insider adds. “This is what he wants.”