Lars and the Real Girl

Flicks, Andrew Hedley

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.

Variety

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...

Newshub

Take a deep breath, and expect the unexpected - trust me, you'll love it.

Empire Magazine

A strangely affecting romance with real heart -- and another sign that Gosling is one of the best young actors around.

Dominion Post

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.

Christchurch Press

Kind, sweet, and innocent, weird, heartbreaking and at times cruel, this carefully crafted low-budget film is full of an endearing kind of humanity.

BBC

A sweet, touching beautifully crafted film which tackles some tricky themes with a great deal of sensitivity and warm-hearted humour.