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When I first saw the trailer for Lars and the Real Girl, I’m pretty sure I groaned right out loud. It seemed, to me, like a blatant Oscar grab for Ryan Gosling—as I mentioned in my Fall Movie Preview. After all, Gosling plays a crazy guy. And, as we all know, crazy person = Oscar. But now that I’ve actually seen the film, I’m happy to admit that I was wrong. Sure, it’s most likely Gosling’s attempt at another Oscar nod (and a good attempt at that), but it’s so much more than that.
Gosling gives a solid and convincing (yet eerily David-Arquette-ish) performance as Lars, a painfully shy, socially awkward 27-year-old. For the most part, Lars is completely functional. He has a job. He goes to church. But he does everything he can to avoid other people—even his brother, Gus (Paul Schneider), and his sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer), who live in their childhood home, while Lars lives in a room off the garage.
One night, though, Lars arrives at his brother’s door to announce that he has a visitor—a female visitor. He met her on the Internet. She’s in town for a while, he says, but she doesn’t feel right about staying with him. Excited that Lars has finally found a girlfriend, Karin and Gus prepare for their guest’s arrival—only to find that their brother’s new Brazilian “girlfriend,” Bianca, is actually a doll (and not one who comes to life at night, when everyone leaves the store, either). And, to make matters worse, Lars doesn’t seem to realize that Bianca isn’t real.
The town’s physician/psychologist (Patricia Clarkson) explains to Karin and Gus that Lars has a delusional disorder. It’s something he needs to get over in his own time—and it’s best to just play along. So, out of love and concern for Lars, Karin and Gus—and everyone else in town—welcome Bianca with open arms.
Lars and the Real Girl tells a strange story—one that, at times, is rather uncomfortable. I mean, we’re talking about a guy whose girlfriend is an anatomically-correct doll that he ordered online (though, just for the record, Lars and Bianca don’t have a physical relationship—much to my relief). But once you get beyond the uneasiness of it all, you’ll find that there’s much more to it than a crazy guy who’s in love with a doll.
Though it’s often laugh-out-loud funny—Lars also tells a sweet and even touching coming-of-age kind of story about a guy who’s just tired of being lonely. He just wants someone to talk to—someone to love him, like his sister-in-law loves his brother. And, despite his awkwardness, you can’t help but love him.
So Lars surprised me. I was surprised that it turned out to be a funny and sweet and memorable—and, yes, even moving—film. And I was surprised by how much I got caught up in the story of a man and his doll.
Give this charmingly offbeat film a try—and you might just be surprised, too.
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