Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson

Lars Lindstrom is a loveable introvert whose emotional baggage has kept him from fully embracing life. After years of what is almost solitude, he invites Bianca, a friend he met on the internet to vis...( read more  read more... )it him. He introduces Bianca to his brother Gus and his wife Karen and they are stunned. They don't know what to say to Lars or Bianca--because she is a life-size doll, not a real person and he is treating her as though she is alive. They consult the family doctor Dagmar who explains this is a delusion he's created--for what reason she doesn't yet know but they should all go along with it. What follows is an emotional journey for Lars and the people around him.

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84% liked it

31,332 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

128 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Release Date: October 12, 2007

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DVD Release Date: April 15, 2008

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Flixster Reviews (13,468)


  • September 25, 2009
    It seems like an almost impossibility for a movie with a plot like this to be sincere instead of creepy or sophomoric, but Lars and the Real Girl manages to walk that thin line pretty well most of the time. Sure, it requires a pretty huge suspension of disbelief by the viewer (A ...( read more)whole town being that nice and supportive? The whole ambulance and hospital thing? Not likely.), but if you can deal with that commitment then you're in for a uniquely pleasurable experience.

    Most of the acting burden falls on Ryan Gosling, and he fortunately never lets Lars become a pathetic or alienating figure. Sure, you feel sorry for him, but he still appears to be a likeable young man despite his problems. You root for Lars, just like his sister-in-law (a great Emily Mortimer) does. Watching how Lars changes over the course of the story is one of the big pluses of this movie.

    A lot of people will read the plot description and think this movie is too weird to even attempt to watch, but I would encourage more mature people to give it a shot anyway. Sometimes weird is good.
  • September 3, 2009
    Lars and the Real Girl was so far off the mark from what the trailer boasted that its almost criminal. Instead of the self-appreciating ball of quirk that the trailer promised, the film itself actually delivered one of the sweetest and most touching movies I've seen in a long tim...( read more)e. Ryan Gosling was all kinds of great and Patricia Clarkson was stupendous as always. Lars and the Real Girl also has near perfect cinematography (which alone is worth the time) and a fantastic score. The film kept me guessing right up to the end and had never went where I expected it to. Such a great, great film...
  • August 4, 2009
    I'll have to think more about this one. I was on board with it up until the ending, where the whole thing suddenly reeked of some warped version of Radio and it all moved quickly from sweet to preachy. Bianca is a great spacer between Lars and the audience - with her in the equat...( read more)ion, it's much harder to see this as the mental illness exploitation disaster that I'm inclined to think it may be.

    All right, I've let it soak for two days...I think my biggest disappointment, ultimately, was that its final few minutes turned the movie into something really sentimental and preachy when it really didn't need to be. The premise is quirky, different, and gently twisted enough to pull off a more against-the-grain ending. Instead, we get a bunch of audience baiting designed to remind the community why we should be nice to These People and How Much They Have Taught Us...About Ourselves. It's an old, cloying message employed by basically every film about mental illness ever, one that makes everyone involved look sycophantic.

    I will say this, though: Ryan Gosling's star continues to rise. His work in Half Nelson, another movie which I found to be flat, was indelible, and this is about the farthest turn away from that as possible. It's a little bit over-affected (we don't need the twitching to know that Lars is mentally ill) but the fact that he sells the insane amount of surreal, delusional shit that transpires is almost stunning. You end up really getting behind the character, and horrifyingly, he actually manages to personify Bianca as well. So good. Patricia Clarkson is thunderously effective in a handful of subdued scenes, and Kelli Garner, though limited, works perfectly in her role. Emily Mortimer has a certain odd flair for comedy but her dramatic work has been better; Paul Schneider is kind of wallpapery, but at least inoffensive. What all of the cast manages to do very well is accept the film's conceit, a sex doll demanding to be treated as a real person, and run with it as best as they can. They really emote with Bianca, communicating with her with varying levels of irony to suit the situation or their character, and not once do you feel the actors were unsure or awkward about their role in this story. Given that Bianca is either an extremely complex prop or a non-sentient actress, the amount of interaction they get out of her is admirable.

    Lars and the Real Girl is technically impressive (note also the Best Screenplay Oscar nod, which I don't think it deserved) but plummets into many of the same pitfalls that might plague a bigger Hollywood picture about a similar subject. If only films could let the characters they depict stand on their own without beatifying them - show them as real people instead of having a priest give us a three-minute monologue about how much they've changed our lives.
  • April 22, 2009
    Lars And The Real Girl is a very touching story.
    I can honestly say, I was expecting something totally different, when I watched this movie. But, this was a heartfelt story of loneliness and the fears all of us face about relationships.
    Ryan Gosling was absolutely amazing as Lar...( read more)s. He tugged my heart strings and made me genuinely empathize with him, everything a great dramatic performance should do.
    Drop all your expectations at the door, and give this movie a shot. You won't be disappointed in what you find.
  • April 19, 2009
    Worth watching for Ryan's Gosling's sensitive portrayal of a delusional individual. Equally impressive supporting cast. Stands out in a crowd of repetitive movies and for its unique script.
  • November 6, 2009
    Film satu ini bagus banget maknanya. Bagaimana kita bisa memberi "spirit" pada suatu benda. Buat orang-orang yang merasa kering jiwanya, ini film cocok deh kayaknya.
  • October 31, 2009
    I think it's a great movie for persons who are interested in psychology. It's just simply fantastic.
  • October 30, 2009
    This movie has to be the most $%^#% up romantic dramedy ever made.I think if they changed some things around they couldve turned it into a great horror flick also (Lars gets laughed at by everybody in Town,Snaps & just starts killing people) Good movie though but NOT as good as I...( read more) heard it was gonna be
  • October 28, 2009
    Not at all what I was expecting. Thought it was going to be a comedy.
  • October 27, 2009
    kinda weird i give it a try though..

Critic Reviews


October 25, 2007
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Every scene that could be played for pathos uncorks great laughs, while those that could turn crass or silly are compassionate. On every level, this is a labor of love. full review

October 22, 2007
David Edelstein, New York Magazine

Often howlingly funny, and the actors are a treat. full review

October 19, 2007
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Almost impossibly sweet, a tale of love and kindness that's funny without being snarky. full review

October 19, 2007
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

One could be led to expect something arch and knowing, but the film is anything but that. It's an emotionally invested movie about loneliness and the lingering scars of early trauma. full review

October 19, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Only after the movie is over do you realize what a balancing act it was, what risks it took, what rewards it contains. full review

October 19, 2007
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

It's nothing less than a miracle that the director, Craig Gillespie, and the writer, Nancy Oliver, have been able to make such an endearing, intelligent and tender comedy from a premise that, in other... full review

October 19, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

The central gimmick of the film remains just that -- a gimmick -- as genuine emotion gives way to shaggy-dog shtick. full review

October 12, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim

It's the real deal. A whimsical, funny, moving film. Gosling is no less than astounding in the surprise movie comedy treat of the year. full review

October 11, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Lars and the Real Girl is a tenderly observed and affecting Capra-esque fable that is well-acted and gently funny. full review

View more Lars and the Real Girl reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • perfectgentlemn
    July 20, 2008
    Wasn't sure if I should be laughin or cryin' lol, What an excellent movie. Definate Must See... haha. ;) Enjoy.
  • tonya1974
    May 19, 2008
    i was blown away by the love the townspeople had for lars and how much they put into helping him deal with his own personal struggles. they let him come to terms in his own time. the funeral scene ripped my heart out and i cried through most of the credits!
  • AussieJenni
    January 11, 2008
    Official sites for Lars and the Real Girl (2007)


    http://www.larsandtherealgirl-themovie.com/

  • mistershinobi
    August 13, 2007
    sounds like "DUMMY" redux to me

    but it's kind of a wet dream to every indie-american-film FAN:

    Ryan Gosling + Patricia Clarkson + Emily Mortimer + screenplay by Nancy Oliver

    oh...my...gOSH!!

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Lars and the Real Girl Trivia


  • Name the movie that did not starred Ryan Reynolds.  Answer »
  • In the 2007 comedy 'Lars And The Real Girl' what is the name of the "real girl?"  Answer »
  • Which pair was in both "All the Real Girls" and "Lars and the Real Girl?"  Answer »
  • The lifelike doll who is a central character in "Lars and the Real Girl" is named:  Answer »

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