Review of Lars and the Real Girl (2007) by Jesse T — 21 May 2011

Lars and the Real Girl could have easily been turned into an uproariously funny comedy with a stupid ending and schmaltzy performances all around. Luckily, screenwriter Nancy Oliver, who co-wrote many episodes of Six Feet Under, penned the script and gave this wonderful story such life and a general heartwarming quality. This indie gem went overlooked in 2007; it got lost in the wave of excellent films that were being released in Oscar season. This just goes to show that 2007 is in fact one of the best years for cinema in recent memory. Come Oscar time, Nancy Oliver managed to receive a well deserved nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

The film tells the story of brothers Lars (Gosling) and Gus (Schneider) who have recently lost their father. Gus and his wife Karin (Mortimer) live in the house they inherited from him, while Lars lives in the garage which they converted into a small living space. Lars is quiet, secluded and socially awkward and every time Karin invites him into the house for meals, he usually declines. One day, Lars visits Gus and Karin and explains that he has met a girl over the Internet. Excited, they invite him in and hope that this relationship will finally put Lars on the right path. Lars brings her in and introduces her as Bianca. He informs them that she is a wheelchair-bound missionary from Brazil. She also happens to be a sex doll. Lars converses with Bianca during their visit and Gus and Karin quickly become concerned for Lars' sanity.

As the film progresses, it moves from quirky comedy to a sweet and ultimately heartwarming drama. Lars' family and friends incorporate Bianca into daily routine for Lars' sake. Soon, this becomes so habitual that they start to treat Bianca as if she was a real human and she affects many people on an emotional level, changing the lives of this small community in a profound way.

Ryan Gosling's portrayal of Lars is both eccentric and realized. He proved to us the year before that he's one of today's best actors with his powerhouse performance in Ryan Fleck's Half Nelson and he certainly followed up with another stunning effort. He's been on my radar since the short-lived Canadian teen television series Breaker High (1997) and his first fantastic film performance as a young neo-Nazi in Henry Bean's The Believer (2001). When Lars was released in 2007, he was definitely on his way to greatness and in my opinion, reached greatness when he appeared in Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine in 2010 (for which he was criminally snubbed at the Oscars). Gosling's performance in Lars earned him many awards and nominations, but sadly, wasn't recognized by AMPAS. He's been overlooked for three amazing performances now, so AMPAS better smarten up.

The supporting cast of this film contains three of my favourite actors: Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider and the incomparable Patricia Clarkson who plays Dagmar, the family doctor who acts as a psychiatrist to Lars. All of their performances hit all the right notes and they are the definition of "supporting actors"Â?. If it weren't for these three performances, Gosling's performance would be nothing. As an ensemble cast, it was the second best of 2007, right behind Into the Wild.

Craig Gillespie does a wonderfully subtle job of directing this film, but I'm going to be honest, I feel this could have been directed by any talented director because the screenplay is THAT good. It's all about the writing here and Nancy Oliver delivers 100% and then some. That said, Gillespie did a fine job, but is overshadowed by Oliver and the stellar cast as the standouts of the film.

Lars and the Real Girl is a heartwarming tale that might really affect you, especially if you know someone like Lars. Highly recommended.