Review of Lars and the Real Girl (2007) by Matt C — 03 Jun 2012

When you first hear of a film about a man buying a sex doll, there is absolutely no chance that you think of an elegantly paced, heartfelt drama; but that's exactly what you get in the very original and entertaining Lars and the real Girl.

Directed by Craig Gillespie, with the screenplay by Nancy Oliver, the two are able to create an uncomfortable, yet sincere and engaging tale about Lars Lindstrom (Gosling), a socially awkward young man with a troubled upbringing.

With his mother passing away while giving birth to him, his older brother leaving the house as soon as he could and his father mourning the loss of his wife, Lars has grown up to be a lonely recluse, terrified of getting too close to anyone in his small town.

Oblivious to the fact that his (super cute) co-worker, Margo (Garner) has a crush on him, Lars buys a sex doll named, Bianca and finds the comfort he's been longing for. Gillespie and Oliver do a fantastic job at making the audience feel awkward when Bianca is first introduced, but as the film progresses, the relationship between Lars and Bianca makes sense and follows a direction of sincerity and of love.

With so many opportunities to make inappropriate or grotesque jokes, or to fall into a trap of perverted, senseless storytelling, the film never strays off path, never becomes perverse and keeps the audience in tune with the different stages of the strangely romantic relationship.

The film touches upon themes of hope, acceptance, comfort and love and in the end, all wraps up to a successful ending. Lars and the Real Girl is a very interesting tale about the emotional, psychological and moral growth of a young man trying to find comfort in love and the lengths the people who care for him are willing to go to help him.