We saw "Lars and the Real Girl" at Cinema Sundays at the Charles here in Baltimore (MD, USA). Audience reaction was great at the screening we saw. Like "Little Miss Sunshine," with which it shares some characteristics, it more fun to watch in an auditorium full of people. Don't wait for the DVD.
It starts off funny, very funny. You probably know that the movie is about a lonely guy, Lars, played by Ryan Gosling, who gets a life-sized, anatomically correct doll.
Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider play Lars's sister-in-law Karin, and brother Gus. Karin, especially, has been trying to get Lars to come to breakfast or dinner, to come out of his shell, and Gus also wants his little brother to be closer. Lars is painfully isolated from Karin and Gus. Still, nothing is as funny as pain! Lars tells Karin and Gus that he has a visitor, Bianca, from Brazil. Of course, at this point, you're wondering what in the world he's doing! You don't tell people that you have a love doll you keep it secret. Especially Karin's reaction at seeing Lars sitting next to his new friend in their living room is hilarious. The film milks the "crowd reaction" for a while, as numerous people encounter Lars and "Bianca," and it doesn't stop being funny. At this point begins the magic of this movie.
I'm reminded of "Purple Rose of Cairo," as well as "Buckaroo Banzai," because both movies expanded the definition for me of what a movie could do. In this case, the magic is that, in this small town in the north of North America (Is it in Canada? The American Midwest?), people are willing, under the leadership of the town physician, magnificently played by Patricia Clarkson, to accept Lars's new friend as a member of the community. This walks a very fine line, and that it succeeds, so magnificently, is a tribute to the director (veteran commercial director Craig Gillespie), the actors (main and supporting characters), and most of all the writer, Nancy Oliver, whose previous experience consists primarily of scripts for HBO's "Six Feet Under." The writing is magnificent. I like this for Best Original Screenplay. Aside from the way the story develops, and the many little funny and warm moments, much of the dialog is memorable and beautifully written. Comparisons to Arthur Miller and Tenessee Williams come to mind.
The magic of this movie is that it makes you laugh at what happens when a guy pretends that a doll is a real person, and then it makes you stop laughing and, well, let's just say I wasn't the only one sniffling and blowing my nose in the audience! And even then it was funny! It took me to a new place.
Although this film may attract some viewers because of the naughty subject matter, the sexiest it gets is when Lars's co-worker Margo (cute-as-a-button Kelli Garner) shimmies after bowling a strike. Really, there's not a crude or off-color moment in the film. It's rated PG-13, and I believe 12-year-olds will get most of it, and enjoy it as well.
Not unlike "Little Miss Sunshine," "Lars" uses an ensemble cast, a director not previously known for feature films, and a fantastic script to make a ground-breaking comedy with a huge amount of heart. Like posters in IMDb's Message Board section, I agree that word of mouth will be kind to this movie. I believe that if it goes into wide release, it will do very, very well.
It starts off funny, very funny. You probably know that the movie is about a lonely guy, Lars, played by Ryan Gosling, who gets a life-sized, anatomically correct doll.
Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider play Lars's sister-in-law Karin, and brother Gus. Karin, especially, has been trying to get Lars to come to breakfast or dinner, to come out of his shell, and Gus also wants his little brother to be closer. Lars is painfully isolated from Karin and Gus. Still, nothing is as funny as pain! Lars tells Karin and Gus that he has a visitor, Bianca, from Brazil. Of course, at this point, you're wondering what in the world he's doing! You don't tell people that you have a love doll you keep it secret. Especially Karin's reaction at seeing Lars sitting next to his new friend in their living room is hilarious. The film milks the "crowd reaction" for a while, as numerous people encounter Lars and "Bianca," and it doesn't stop being funny. At this point begins the magic of this movie.
I'm reminded of "Purple Rose of Cairo," as well as "Buckaroo Banzai," because both movies expanded the definition for me of what a movie could do. In this case, the magic is that, in this small town in the north of North America (Is it in Canada? The American Midwest?), people are willing, under the leadership of the town physician, magnificently played by Patricia Clarkson, to accept Lars's new friend as a member of the community. This walks a very fine line, and that it succeeds, so magnificently, is a tribute to the director (veteran commercial director Craig Gillespie), the actors (main and supporting characters), and most of all the writer, Nancy Oliver, whose previous experience consists primarily of scripts for HBO's "Six Feet Under." The writing is magnificent. I like this for Best Original Screenplay. Aside from the way the story develops, and the many little funny and warm moments, much of the dialog is memorable and beautifully written. Comparisons to Arthur Miller and Tenessee Williams come to mind.
The magic of this movie is that it makes you laugh at what happens when a guy pretends that a doll is a real person, and then it makes you stop laughing and, well, let's just say I wasn't the only one sniffling and blowing my nose in the audience! And even then it was funny! It took me to a new place.
Although this film may attract some viewers because of the naughty subject matter, the sexiest it gets is when Lars's co-worker Margo (cute-as-a-button Kelli Garner) shimmies after bowling a strike. Really, there's not a crude or off-color moment in the film. It's rated PG-13, and I believe 12-year-olds will get most of it, and enjoy it as well.
Not unlike "Little Miss Sunshine," "Lars" uses an ensemble cast, a director not previously known for feature films, and a fantastic script to make a ground-breaking comedy with a huge amount of heart. Like posters in IMDb's Message Board section, I agree that word of mouth will be kind to this movie. I believe that if it goes into wide release, it will do very, very well.