Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillespie, 2007)

THE SCOOP
Director: Craig Gillespie
Plot: A delusional young guy strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.

Genre: Comedy/Drama
Awards: Nom.for 1 Oscar - original screenplay
Runtime: 106min
Rating: PG for some sex-related content.

IN RETROSPECT
Young 27-year old Ryan Gosling is one of the hotter properties in American cinema for the last couple of years. From his breakthrough Oscar-nominated role as Dan Dunne in the drama Half Nelson, he has starred in the mystery thriller Fracture, and now the romantic comedy Lars And The Real Girl, in which he steadily establishes his capabilities as a lead actor in a completely different genre. Gosling's acting proficiency has never been doubted; he's a naturally gifted actor with a face that's adept in conveying varying degrees of emotions.

Lars And The Real Girl is a heartwarming tale of a social introvert, Lars Lindstrom (Gosling), who strikes a faithful relationship with a life-size doll bought from the internet. His affection for the doll is like a tight knot which cannot be untied, and is precisely the reason scenes with Lars and his 'girlfriend' are often hilarious (especially in the first-third of the film when Lars appears to be mentally unsound). As the film moves on, it becomes a sad study of a lonely man who longs for love, and how the community responds to his bizarre ways.

Apart from Gosling's fine performance, the other star of the show is Emily Mortimer who plays Lars' sister-in-law, Karin. The rest of the cast is ordinary, sometimes lacking the spark to ignite the film into more engaging proportions. The original score is another highlight and is one of the better outputs of 2007. Lars And The Real Girl is a soothing and sweet film, helped by smart marketing, and restrained direction by Craig Gillespie. It is a prompt reminder that love stories need not be crass and manipulative. Rather, Lars And The Real Girl is like a tasty film tonic, one that's filled with melting tenderness and with a poignant aftertaste.

SCORE: 8/10
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Recommendations: Toy Story 3 (Lee Unkrich, 2010), To Kill a Mockingbird (Robert Mulligan, 1962), The Visitor

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Last updated: 2010-05-08 08:27:07 by eternality_tan

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes sir.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.
THE GRADUATE, 1967

I guess DuPont wasn't kidding when they declared, "Better Living Through Chemistry." At least that's what I have come to conclude after screening Craig Gillespie's surprisingly intelligent and compassionate LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. Thanks to an extremely well-crafted, poignant and uplifting Oscar-nominated screenplay by Nancy Oliver, this quirky and endearing tale of a reclusive man and his mail-order bride is among the very best movies I've seen in the last year or two.

Lars Lindstrom (no relation to O. G. Lundstom or his daughters, the lovely Lynda among them) is a reclusive, obviously troubled fellow who pretty much lives a lonely life in a garage apartment in back of his brother's home somewhere in the wintery midwest. (Could Lake Wobegon be far away?) Unable to relate to real people, Lars only ventures out of his small, dingy living quarters when he goes to his shared work cubicle or to church. Other than the persistent dinner invitations from his caring, concerned sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer), no one in this small town seems to notice Lars. No one, that is, except Margo, the wholesome, winsome, willowy coworker. Margo is winningly played by Kelli Garner, perhaps the slinkiest actress working today. She's a scene stealer, that's for sure.


Another actress who deserves special mention is Patricia Clarkson, whose character is the surprisingly astute doctor/therapist that Lars sees on a regular basis. In fact, everyone who appears on camera does an outstanding job -- not since John Sayles' MATEWAN (1987) has there been a film more perfectly cast from top to bottom -- but it is Ryan Gosling's eloquently understated Golden Globe-nominated performance as the somewhat troubled Lars that clearly leads the way. With the possible exception of Johnny Depp, it is hard to imagine any other current actor capable of pulling off this difficult role as intelligently or as sympathetically.


And then we come to Bianca -- the remarkably lifelike, full-sized, silicone sex doll. She may be quiet, very quiet, but she is pliant and pliant is good, or so I'm led to believe. And she is just what Lars needs. When the UPS truck pulls away and the large crate is opened, his life changes immediately for the better. In a simple, no-nonsense, matter-of-fact manner, Lars introduces Bianca to everyone as a paraplegic missionary of Brazilian and Danish decent who has come to America on a sabbatical. It's as good an explanation as any, I guess, since nobody seems to really care once the initial shock is over.

Eventually Lars begins to go out far more often than previously, pushing the beautiful Bianca around town in a wheelchair where the townsfolk not only accept her, they begin to individually include her in all kinds of activities. In fact, Bianca is even elected to the school board -- a bit surprising, perhaps, but this is Garrison Keillor Country, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.


There's no doubt that love is often blind, and, apparently, it can be inanimate as well, but ultimately Lars' sweet, sentimental journey leads him to the real-life Margo. How this comes about in an honest, uplifting, intelligent way is something to behold. Make no mistake, in the hands of less talented filmmakers LARS AND THE REAL GIRL would be little more than a television sketch. Or, worse -- maybe it would have turned out like LOVE STORY (1970). Even Ryan O'Neal would choose Bianca over Ali McGraw.

While the underlying premise for LARS AND THE REAL GIRL is decidedly offbeat and fanciful, keep in mind that Jimmy Stewart had "Harvey." Tom Hanks had "Wilson." And now Ryan Gosling has "Bianca." Of the three, I'll take Bianca. Don't laugh, she can be purchased from Abyss Creations for a mere $6,499 -- that's a lot cheaper than a high maintenance trophy wife (and remember, Bianca's pliant).

(Read Less...)

Robert A. Nowotny

Lars and the Real Girl (Craig GIllespie, 2007)

**½
USA

Small-town introvert Ryan Gosling falls in love with a sex doll, introduces her to the community as Bianca his partner and the community plays along to the point that Bianca gets her hair styled, is invited to do charity work and even has the ambulance at ready disposal. The premise isn't played for cutesy quirk so much as soppy romance. A bunch of talented actors scramble to pitch their performance at some level of honesty, but to little avail. The film's inner reality is so sketchy, it's unlikely that the writer or director ever had a handle on it either.