Review of Lars and the Real Girl (2007) by Johnny T — 05 Apr 2014

A sweet little comedy, as easygoing and warmly innocuous as the benign irony of the title. Lars and the Real Girl could've so easily been a one-joke movie. But the talented cast, a great script, and direction never condescends to its character or the audience. An often clumsy fable about the sting of loneliness and the welcome balm of selfless intervention. Gosling's performance is a small miracle, not only because he's so completely open as a man who's essentially shut off, but because he changes and grows so imperceptibly before our eyes. Gosling is excellent playing a character who's fundamentally unknowable. Working with a doll can't be easy, but Gosling actually makes it feel emotionally real. Lars and the Real Girl could have felt overly precious, like a cheap stunt or joke, but the emotional depth and warmth make this quirky regional character study anything but plastic. And, irony of ironies for the most part it left me pretty empty. It's certainly not a bad movie, but not everything it could've been It's a movie driving in neutral. It never really gets as clever, as emotional or as funny as I wanted it too. A scene where he shares an imaginary dance with Bianca, with his eyes closed and a beatific smile on his face, is by itself worth the price of admission.

VERDICT: "In The Zone" - [Mixed Reaction] These kinds of movies are usually movies that had some good things, but some bad things kept it from being amazing. This rating says buy an ex-rental or a cheap price of the DVD to own. If you consider cinema, ask for people's opinion on the film. (Films that are rated 2.5 or 3 stars).