Review of Lars and the Real Girl (2007) by Roger C — 26 Apr 2013

Great movies often take us on unexpected adventures that often end in unexpected ways. Sometimes, they cause us to call things into question that we had previously assumed were finite truths about the world. Sometimes they provide uplifting reaffirmations. "Lars and the Real Girl" will absolutely punish you for believing that a man's openly delusional relationship with a Real Doll could never cause something greater than sheer awkwardness or pity to stir inside of you.

I don't believe any other actor but Ryan Gosling could have pulled off this part in a more convincing fashion to bring out the absolute best in what I would consider top-notch writing. With a premise this absurd, you would have thought Rob Schneider would have been a more fitting lead. However, Nancy Oliver clearly knew exactly what she was doing when she wrote this gem, and it shines through in a both sincerely uncomfortable yet heart-warming experience that walks the tight-rope between two very deep abysses of poor filmmaking absolutely perfectly.

A must-see if you missed it. I don't believe I've shed a tear like that since the opening montage of "Up".

5/5.