Dvd
Lars and the Real Girl
They consult the family doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who explains this is a delusion he’s created — for what reason she doesn’t yet know but they should all go along with it.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner, Paul Schneider, Lauren Ash
Directed by Craig Gillespie (feature debut)
Written by Nancy Oliver
Comedy, Drama | 1hr 46mins | Rated (M) | sexual references | Origin: USA
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Flicks review
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4
If you thought that making a movie where a lonely man falls in love with a sex doll was a silly idea, you were wrong. What might have turned out as a lame extended joke, cooked up by smug creative types who think they're funnier than they are, is actually a sweet, warm comedy that stays well away from cynicism or sarcasm and might win over the most skeptical viewer.
The great script from Nancy Oliver, who wrote on Six Feet Under, is engaging in a gentle way. It's free from sentimentality, and paints characters with detailed strokes, providing them with believable dialogue and understandable motives.
Ryan Gosling once again proves his versatility as a young actor with his portrayal of Lars Lindstrom, a lonely man who shuns any social interaction aside from an occasional comment to dull workmates or visits to church on Sundays. He lives in his brother's garage, locked up inside, barely even courageous enough to acknowledge his sister-in-law when she invites him over for dinner. His subsequent affection for sex-doll Bianca is quite touching.
The supporting characters are equally endearing. Emily Mortimer is extremely likable as pregnant sister-in-law Karin. Her husband Gus (Paul Schneider) speaks the voice of reason as a dryly humourous spokesperson for the audience. Patricia Clarkson is quietly subdued as the doctor who tries some therapy with Lars.
Costume and art direction create the chilly atmosphere of snow-bound northern America. The bleak landscape and big open skies reflect Lars' loneliness. Characters wear unfashionable patterned jumpers and big woolen boots. The result has a similar feel to working in a warm office on a stormy winter's day – you're glad to be inside, it cheers you up a little.
This story wears its heart on its checkered flannel sleeve. It succeeds because of the subtlety of its humour and its likable characters. The filmmakers have deftly sidestepped the potentially awkward 'high-concept' and instead delivered a genuinely optimistic, warmhearted fairytale.
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The people's reviews
14 reviews
Press Reviews
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Ain't It Cool News [USA]
Unlike Little Miss Sunshine, this is an indie comedy with real soul, not all too perfectly quirky characters whose lives fall apart according to the jokes. What struck me is how amazingly real the premise is played, never pandering to the comedy and never pushing false profundity and hope on us...
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BBC
4
A sweet, touching beautifully crafted film which tackles some tricky themes with a great deal of sensitivity and warm-hearted humour.
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Christchurch Press [Margaret Agnew]
4
Kind, sweet, and innocent, weird, heartbreaking and at times cruel, this carefully crafted low-budget film is full of an endearing kind of humanity.
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Dominion Post
4
This is a pitch-perfect and gently satirical small-town yarn - the sort of thing Garrison Keillor might have found himself narrating. Sure, it takes a willing credulity to really buy into Lars - is this a town without one single obnoxious teenager? - but if you do, you'll find this a great little film. Like Little Miss Sunshine, Lars and the Real Girl takes an unlikely story and spins it into some real gold.
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Empire Magazine [UK]
4
A strangely affecting romance with real heart -- and another sign that Gosling is one of the best young actors around.
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TV3 [Kate Rodger]
4
1/2 Take a deep breath, and expect the unexpected - trust me, you'll love it.
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Variety [USA]
Helmer Craig Gillespie's sweetly off-kilter film plays like a Coen brothers riff on Garrison Keillor's "Lake Woebegone" tales, defying its lurid premise with a gentle comic drama grounded in reality. Although well-acted by a name cast, the offbeat subject matter and idiosyncratic tone make it arthouse material...
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