Lars and the Real Girl

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Lars and the Real Girl

84% Liked It
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Lars and the Real Girl

Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Schneider, Ryan Gosling

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.

Id: 10888505

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Lars and the Real Girl Recent Reviews

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Recent Reviews

Lars and the Real Girl Recent Reviews
  • lewiskendell
    September 25, 2009
    lewiskendell
    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.
  • mjgildea
    September 3, 2009
    mjgildea
    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...
  • ceWEBrity
    August 4, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    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.
  • jamilyn0276
    April 22, 2009
    jamilyn0276
    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.
  • mariosundar
    April 19, 2009
    mariosundar
    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.
  • xdeadcandancex
    December 8, 2009
    xdeadcandancex
    I just watched this film to see what one of those $10,000 real dolls would look like. For all those who are wondering, there aren't any action scenes between Lars and Bianca, if you know what I mean ;-). This could be a letdown for some, but the movie itself serves a comedic ye...( read more)t sentimental and moving purpose.
  • toejambaseball24
    December 7, 2009
    toejambaseball24
    A sweet and charming little movie with a great performance by Ryan Gosling. This premise could have gone in a million different directions, some of them slapstick and outrageous, and some of them could have been quite disturbing. This one chooses the sweet and sensitive route, an...( read more)d I think they definitely made the right choice.
  • Nenebelle
    November 24, 2009
    Nenebelle
    Recommended by ascmoviegirl6 and Liesebieke.
  • Liesebieke
    November 24, 2009
    Liesebieke
    I was so surprised about this movie!! One wonderful story about love, understanding, friendship and helping each other. Should have received an Oscar, not just a nomination.
    Good work Ryan Gosling.
  • clairebear44
    November 22, 2009
    clairebear44
    This is a gorgeous movie. Absolutely stunning performance from Ryan Gosling who really gets outside the box to play a character who is not exactly classed as normal. This is a very indie/alternative movie, so if you're not into movies that don't try for the whole 'consumer-box-of...( read more)fice' thing, then probably not for you.
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