Review of Lars and the Real Girl (2007) by Do You Even Jay C — 09 Dec 2013

*THE OFFICIAL BETTER THAN JUNO SEAL*.

There's this undeniable charm that Ryan Gosling displays in his Pre-Refn day film "Lars and the Real Girl". In fact, he used to be a very underrated actor back before Drive messed everything up. Him and Anthony Mackie's performances in Half Nelson rank as some of the best chemistry I've seen in a while. It's a shame as to what his career has come to. His recent films, such as Gangster Squad, Drive, Only God Forgives, and the god-awful Crazy, Stupid Love, have been some of the most dreadful experiences of my life. Some of you may know of my deep-seeded hatred for Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive, but that's another review for another time. If there has ever been a time where I've doubted Gosling's ability to act (which has been many times), I should really take a second to look at this film.

Lars and the Real Girl is a really unique film. Original ideas usually bode well with me, as I tend to like creativity. It's a fairly romantic film....except one thing. Gosling doesn't fall in love with a "real" girl, per say. You could say she's a girl. Some sickos in this world would call her a play thing. The film calls her Bianca. Gosling stars as an emotionally wreck guy by the name of Lars, who just needs someone in his life. He's very anti-social and refuses to have dinner with his sister-in-law and brother. Lars, wanting a woman in his life, meets a "woman" online. Soon, we find out that this "woman" is a blow up doll Lars bought from an adult site. Soon, everyone around Lars, caring for his well being, act as if Bianca is real.

It's a really good character study about a man with a very terrible childhood. The psychological damage done to Lars seemed to have a huge affect in his life. We feel for Lars, and even though we've never went this extreme, we've all yearned for that significant other. Craig Gillepsie, director of the stellar Fright Night, handles this film with extreme care. The script, while maybe not on Before Sunrise standards, is probably one of the best romance scripts ever. That's the thing about this film, though. It's often labeled as a romance film because "OH! It stars the guy from the Notebook (Ryan Gosling) and he falls in love." In reality, it's a cold, dark drama that really deserves to not be overlooked.

As I've said before, the acting is phenomenal. Emily Mortimer stars as Lars' sister-in-law and has shown me that she once was a great actress. The cast is filled with unknowns, so I really don't know much about them. However, the true star is Ryan Gosling as Lars. He has this charm that went missing for some reason after he made Drive. It's a shame. I really thought Gosling was good, and he is, considering how he was phenomenal in Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, even though both films really blew their potential and became mediocre. Gosling is an actor who really has it all: He's a teen heartthrob and women still want his D. He's a decent sing (from what I've heard. Rock isn't my style, yo) And he's a great actor. I know he can go far if he sticks with films like this.

Ultimately, "Lars" probably isn't very realistic, but isn't it nice to think it could be? That a group of people could be this warm, kind and accepting, simply because they happen to like somebody and want to see him get better. The film is full of wonderful performances from everyone. In addition to Gosling and Clarkson, Emily Mortimer shines as Lars's caring and worried sister-in-law. The story in short is of a man, troubled by his past and afraid of closeness even with his loving family. He finds an seemingly undemanding friend in a human-sized doll he buys over the internet. Soon, with the help of his family and the whole town, who decide to play his game, he discovers the beauty of human touch, emotion and contact...

8.5/10.