Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Mark W

  
  When you see the poster for this film, with a moustachioed Ryan Gosling sitting on his sofa, grinning from ear to ear and accompanied by a sex doll, you be forgiven for entering into this and expecting some form of farcical sex-comedy. The poster however, is somewhat misleading. This… More
  When you see the poster for this film, with a moustachioed Ryan Gosling sitting on his sofa, grinning from ear to ear and accompanied by a sex doll, you be forgiven for entering into this and expecting some form of farcical sex-comedy. The poster however, is somewhat misleading. This is more of a drama (with a hint of quirkiness) and it's a sensitive and heartfelt one at that. Pathologically shy guy Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) introduces his new 'girlfriend' Bianca, a lifelike plastic doll, to his sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer) and brother Gus (Paul Schneider). Somewhat concerned, they decide to call in sympathetic psychologist Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who advises that everyone play along with treating Bianca as a real person to try and get to the bottom of Lars' obvious mental condition. Lars is a tragic character that Gosling imbues with a real fragile innocence. It's another marvellous and enigmatic performance from him. He keeps the audience at just the right distance. Never letting you in, but still maintaining a likeability. Lars is a character that could so easily be laughed at and ridiculed but it's testament to writer Nancy Oliver, director Craig Gillespie, the supporting cast of Mortimer, Schnieder and Clarkson, and particularly Gosling's lead in bringing the character - and his social trauma - so vividly to life. Instead of being a farcical film of cheap jokes, it becomes a touching exploration of mental health that's quite unlike anything you'll have seen before. It's deliberately paced and some may even find it lethargic but I found it to be a highly original and deeply sensitive drama anchored by a marvellous central performance.

• Thomas B

  
  Strange concept pulled off with some genuine emotion and a great central performance. Full review later.

• Jens S

  
  This is the story of Lars, a reclusive weirdo who has a hard time meeting or even talking to women. While our first impression of him may be odd, nothing prepares for the fact that he orders a real-looking sex doll and presents it as his girlfriend. That's a bit of a stretch of… More
  This is the story of Lars, a reclusive weirdo who has a hard time meeting or even talking to women. While our first impression of him may be odd, nothing prepares for the fact that he orders a real-looking sex doll and presents it as his girlfriend. That's a bit of a stretch of course and the community's reaction is even more unexpected: due to his doctor's advice, everyone plays along and treats "Bianca" like a real person. Once you get over the fact there is not one mean person in this town who would try to snap Lars out of it, this is a really sweet and heart warming film. Lars' and the community's treatment of Bianca is like therapy for him and his slow steps towards normality are well done, also thanks to Gosling's excellent acting performance. The fact that the film manages to make you weep for a sex-doll in the end speaks for itself.

• Veronique K

  
  i noticed someone tried to make a comparison between "lars and the real girl" and "love object" which is a more obscure horror-movie made in 2003. what drives me into finally spending the time to see it after so many years is because of an odd incident happened in… More
  i noticed someone tried to make a comparison between "lars and the real girl" and "love object" which is a more obscure horror-movie made in 2003. what drives me into finally spending the time to see it after so many years is because of an odd incident happened in switzerland: a 25-year-old guy got caught from having sex with his dog, and he was brought to the court wearing the collar of his dog, vowing his undying faithful love to the dog (which also happens to be a HE.) the guy insisted that he did nothing wrong, consensual affair since he did a series of courtships to it. still, he was sentenced to jail. my feeling was, the guy should be acquitted. ok, whether he should be sentenced is not an issue to discuss here, but my point is, you see nowadays lots of people treat their pets as if they were their own children meanwhile they're reluctant to produce any seed of their own. would you call them problematic? another question would be WHY! what is the emotional obstacle out there that drives people into bestowing their most precious affections to THINGS(anything non-human) instead of real human? is it safer to love an inanimate thing which cannot respond back so we could always live within an illusion of happiness without actually running the risk to have our hearts damaged? lars in this movie falls in love with a sex doll he orders from internet, and he treats this sex doll romantically while there's no sex involved in this "relationship." stricken by this sudden change, lars' family and friends all open their hearts to this inanimate doll as if she were real human. it turns out that the sex-doll has more active social life within the community than withdrawn lars. (honestly, that part is not very believable, but it's a movie which is based on a larger-than-life fictional idea). at last, lars lets the sex doll die as he gradually grows more and more fond of his female coleague. my first wonder would be, in childhood, lots of little girls have imaginary friends, quite often, the imaginary friends are their dolls purchased by the parents. we indulge little kids on behaving this way, patiently waiting for the kids to grow out of this oddity by participating as part of the child's act-play. particularly for young female kids. but for male kids, they're deprived of such luxury due to the fright of effemination. thus, when boys grow up, some of them tend to find some obedient girlfriend to compensate this lack of "dolly friend" in childhood. or if they're too socially inadequate, they would simply purchase a sex-doll online as some substitute girlfriend like lars. that is the gender issue here. also, you don't see stories about woman having a male-doll as boyfriend that often in cinematic pop culture, right? usually, just dysfunctional adult-woman has female-doll as imaginary friend, such as that 2005 horror-movie may. my second wonder would be, why we consider it abnormal (or delusional, according to the movie) when an adult does something guileless like that (dating the sex doll or falling in love with a dog)? the simple answer would be, because he's adult, he ain't supposed to do that! there's a basic psychological term called regression, a wish to retreat into childhood when a person cannot handle the stress in his present stage of life. in my opinion, in this decade, people all suffer from the want of regression, just take a look at the blurred demarcation between adult and child clothings, the popularity of adults having pets as child-substitutes...but we all seek harmless camouflage for ourselves to get away with what we do in life as long as it casts no harm to others before the issue of sex infiltrates into the picture and gives everything more irrevocable layers of complexity because fetishized sex invites the disturbing mental image of miscellaneous intercourse. the phobia of hybridity is still, in some way, deep rooted within people's mindset despite its ticklish sensations. without sex, it would be forgivable indulgement of regression; with sex, it would become a condemnable gesture of transgression! back to the comparison between "lars and the real girl" and "love object", the former is a childlike representation of infantile regression; the latter is a violatile simulcrum of malicious transgression (if you cannot have the woman you desire, order a doll which resembles her then tears her apart in pieces)...lars and the real girl is about an adult-boy's journey of ridding off his imaginary friend and fledging into a wholesome adulthood where he become tangible and capable of dealing with real intimacy. as for which one is more interesting? it depends on your mood. sometimes i crave for regression but there're also times when i seek surrogate transgression, intensified sexuality relished in extreme circumstances of life.

• Anthony L

  
  Lars and the Real Girl really lived up to my expectations and then some. Ryan Gosling is definitely becoming the actor to look out for at the moment and his performance as Lars is a good example of why. The writing is brilliant and the actor's performances show understanding of… More
  Lars and the Real Girl really lived up to my expectations and then some. Ryan Gosling is definitely becoming the actor to look out for at the moment and his performance as Lars is a good example of why. The writing is brilliant and the actor's performances show understanding of this, I have to say, it's a breath of fresh air to see such an intelligently thought out film become so successful and embraced. Other writers/directors/producers should take note - Lars and the Real Girl is like the Harvey for our generation, it's that good.

• Shawn E

  
  This slightly odd film could have been disastrous with it's unusual plot and story. It was the great quality of acting from lead Ryan Gosling and the rest of the cast that really made this film feel sincere and rich with substance. I'm sure it was also the more serious… More
  This slightly odd film could have been disastrous with it's unusual plot and story. It was the great quality of acting from lead Ryan Gosling and the rest of the cast that really made this film feel sincere and rich with substance. I'm sure it was also the more serious approach to Lar's condition and not just laughs that made this film so successful. A great quality film that comes off more sweet than depressing.

• Daniel J D

  
  A fun little film. I was pleasantly surprised by Ryan Gosling's acting chops as well as the rest of the cast. They pulled it off, perhaps in part because the idea of the film feels so outlandish it actually works.

• Daniel P

  
  The first thing worth saying about Lars and the Real Girl is that it's not as depressing as I expected. As the story develops, what you find in the film is a touching, borderline unbelievable depiction of what the support of a community can do - even for the "weirdest"… More
  The first thing worth saying about Lars and the Real Girl is that it's not as depressing as I expected. As the story develops, what you find in the film is a touching, borderline unbelievable depiction of what the support of a community can do - even for the "weirdest" of individuals. Ryan Gosling carries a weaker supporting cast through a touching and challenging story with his outstanding performance, and though the dialogue stumbles a couple of times, this is a fresh, original and heartfelt film. Watch out for Gosling, his Oscar is coming... one strong performance after another, and his Lars is chief among them. There's a little magic in this movie. It's excellent.

• Bethany M

  
  Very weird but gives you an insight on the real life of these people. It makes it even more weird that people actually do this and feel so strongly about it. A must see!

• Everett J

  
  This is an odd little movie that has a lot of heart and charm to it. It stars Ryan Gosling as a loner who really has no one in his life but his brother Gus and Gus's wife Karin. When they become worried that he is too alone, he shows up with his new girlfriend, a sex doll.… More
  This is an odd little movie that has a lot of heart and charm to it. It stars Ryan Gosling as a loner who really has no one in his life but his brother Gus and Gus's wife Karin. When they become worried that he is too alone, he shows up with his new girlfriend, a sex doll. This is not a perverted movie at all(now that I think about it, I don't know if he ever had sex with the doll). He just has a delusion of having a relationship with it, even naming it "Bianca". He talks to the doll, sings to it, takes it to the doctor, really has a relationship with this doll. But the weird thing about this movie, is you will start to like and become invested in Bianca as a character. Gosling gives probably his best performance, you really find yourself rooting for him to find a girlfriend, but don't want him to leave Bianca behind. This is a true independent movie, very low budget and quiet, relying on more human emotion than anything to tell the story. Good movie, not for everyone, but I think most people will find something to like about this movie.

• Kristijonas F

  
  The prolonged awkwardness of the... everything... make the film a tad difficult to sit through at times, but it's an undeniably humanistic take on the burden and beauty of relationships. The unorthodox story structure and completely outlandish plot makes for some great comedy as… More
  The prolonged awkwardness of the... everything... make the film a tad difficult to sit through at times, but it's an undeniably humanistic take on the burden and beauty of relationships. The unorthodox story structure and completely outlandish plot makes for some great comedy as well, and Ryan Gosling delivers an unsettling and peculiar performance which is quite reminiscent of Steve Carrell in "The Office." The awkward moments, that is.

• Sajin P

  
  The real success of this movie is that, what could have been the plot for a lame comedy flick, have been treated with respect and seriousness to its context, resulting in an experience which connects with the audience on an emotional level.

• Thomas J

  
  This is the offbeat kind of role I enjoy seeing Ryan Gosling feign. While the premise is outlandish, it is a fun movie. One thing missing is reality! If only life were like this movie and people could "play along" while things work themselves out. Cute story and fun....… More
  This is the offbeat kind of role I enjoy seeing Ryan Gosling feign. While the premise is outlandish, it is a fun movie. One thing missing is reality! If only life were like this movie and people could "play along" while things work themselves out. Cute story and fun.... but missing some real substance.

• familiar s

  
  Potential SPOILERS herein: I was expecting better here than what it turned out to be for me. While it was good, it wasn't great enough. It started well & I was finding it absurdly funny & engaging, but after a while, it kept going downhill. It would have been better had… More
  Potential SPOILERS herein: I was expecting better here than what it turned out to be for me. While it was good, it wasn't great enough. It started well & I was finding it absurdly funny & engaging, but after a while, it kept going downhill. It would have been better had it been shorter. I found it hard to sit through after 80 or so minutes. Besides, it could have been done more convincingly. I found it difficult to digest that no one made fun of Lars while he's roaming on the streets with that doll. The way he was attached to doll also seemed unreal to me, but then I thought how much of the world have I really seen to conclude his situation to be unreal. However, calling 911 & their coming to rescue for the doll was a bit too ridiculous. Seems like my 'suspension of disbelief' was on low battery low today. Or is that a rather poor excuse?

• Chris W

  
  This movie could have failed so easily. It could have easily descended into something gross, lurid, or stupid, but it doesn't. The whole situation is played straight, and the movie is all the better because of it. It's not really a comedy either. It might seem like some… More
  This movie could have failed so easily. It could have easily descended into something gross, lurid, or stupid, but it doesn't. The whole situation is played straight, and the movie is all the better because of it. It's not really a comedy either. It might seem like some sort of lighthearted comedic tale, and, whule there are some funny moments, this is actually a really sweet and serious drama. Not once did I really think twice about whether or not to buy into the movie and take it seriously. You pretty much have to, otherwise it doesn't work. This is pretty easy to do, because it is just so well-written, directed, and acted. This is pretty much Ryan Gosling's show, but everyone does an excellent job here. The performances are just so sincere and genuine that you find yourself really caring about the people and what happens. I don't think I've seen a more genuine and hinest love story like this in a long time. Here's how well the movie works: by the end of it, I was actually legitimately shedding tears. I really couldn't help it. The film is just so heartfelt, emotional, and moving that it's basically unavoidable unless you are dead inside. Okay, that's maybe a bit too strong, but the movie is extremely effective, and I feel like I really learned a good lesson about tolerance, grief, and the human condition for having watched it. This movie could have failed so easily. It could have easily descended into something gross, lurid, or stupid, but it doesn't. The whole situation is played straight, and the movie is all the better because of it. It's not really a comedy either. It might seem like some sort of lighthearted comedic tale, and, whule there are some funny moments, this is actually a really sweet and serious drama. Not once did I really think twice about whether or not to buy into the movie and take it seriously. You pretty much have to, otherwise it doesn't work. This is pretty easy to do, because it is just so well-written, directed, and acted. This is pretty much Ryan Gosling's show, but everyone does an excellent job here. The performances are just so sincere and genuine that you find yourself really caring about the people and what happens. I don't think I've seen a more genuine and hinest love story like this in a long time. Here's how well the movie works: by the end of it, I was actually legitimately shedding tears. I really couldn't help it. The film is just so heartfelt, emotional, and moving that it's basically unavoidable unless you are dead inside. Okay, that's maybe a bit too strong, but the movie is extremely effective, and I feel like I really learned a good lesson about tolerance, grief, and the human condition for having watched it. clear rating

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  Cast: Ryan Gosling, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner, Paul Schneider Director: Craig Gillespie Summary: When a delusional loner (Ryan Gosling) buys a life-size sex doll over the Internet, promptly falls in love with her and starts telling people that the doll is… More
  Cast: Ryan Gosling, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer, Kelli Garner, Paul Schneider Director: Craig Gillespie Summary: When a delusional loner (Ryan Gosling) buys a life-size sex doll over the Internet, promptly falls in love with her and starts telling people that the doll is his girlfriend, his brother (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) decide it's time to intervene. My Thoughts: "This film was everything I didn't expect it to be. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this film. It's simply about love, loss, acceptance, and relationships. This film is original and stands alone being one of a kind. The script is brilliant, along with the performances. Ryan Gosling is just amazing in this role. He is a favorite of mine, and I've always thought he doesn't get recognized enough for what a great actor he is. But he definitely proves he is in this role. It's one of the most touching, sad, funny, and heartfelt movies I have ever seen. The summary states him ordering a 'silicone sex doll', but it is not for sexual purposes. Lars is so emotionally distant from humans that he fears, and even feels pain with human touch. He is missing that emotional closeness that he didn't receive in his childhood and "Bianca" is that for him. Can't express enough how extremely good this movie was. I HIGHLY recommend it, and will definitely be purchasing it."

• Jani H

  
  Ryan Gosling is one of the most promising young actors. 'The Believer', a film about a Jewish neo-Nazi, was simply unbeliavable and after that he has come up with films like 'Half Nelson', 'The United States of Leland' and 'The Notebook'.… More
  Ryan Gosling is one of the most promising young actors. 'The Believer', a film about a Jewish neo-Nazi, was simply unbeliavable and after that he has come up with films like 'Half Nelson', 'The United States of Leland' and 'The Notebook'. 'Lars and the Real Girl' got my attention only because of the fact that Ryan Gosling was on the cover sitting on a bench with an odd smile on his face. It doesn't take that much more for me to pick up a movie... Gosling plays Lars, a young man who has difficulties to intreract with other people, including his own brother and his family. Every day, his sister-in-law is trying to get him to join them for dinner or breakfast. If she succeeds, Lars tries to get out of the situation as fast as possible. One day, Lars comes to them and says that he has a girlfriend, a wheelchair bound missionary called Bianca, whom he met via the internet. She is coming for her first visit. Lars' enthusiasm catches them of guard and makes them eager to meet her. The only problem is that Bianca is a lifelike doll which he ordered from an adult website. Nancy Oliver's, a screenwriter for one of my favourite TV series 'Six Feet Under', first motion picture screenplay is a completely enjoyable drama with bits of comedic proportions. Lars' past is a bit troubled, his mother died at birth and he was raised by a heartbroken father. This has resulted with some problems, for example with intimacy, which is clearly shown. 'Lars and the Real Girl' is more a tale of growning up, accepting your past and communality. The town in which he lives, accepts Bianca as a way of helping Lars to interact with other people. During this time, Bianca becomes a popular figure amongst the townspeople and even the only REAL girl that seems to be interested in Lars (even before Bianca's coming) understands this whole process. Ryan Gosling manages to come up with a performance that isn't stretched up to the height of exaggeration, which is so typical in these kind of roles. His performance is not the typical "I'm-a-bit-peculiar-give-me-an-Oscar" but so very much sweet and convincing. The rest of the cast, which features one of my favourite actresses Emily Mortimer, supports Gosling wonderfully. 'Lars and the Real Girl' was not a success at the Box Office but that probably doesn't come as a surprise to you all. Nevertheless, these low marginal indie movies tend to be very rich in content and this movie is strong proof of that. This gentle gem comes recommended to you all.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  Mislead by some comments here i expected a laugh-out comedy, Ben Stiler style. Many other people in the cinema expected the same and from the beginning of the film they laughed at the slightest hint that something might be funny. Little by little though, the laughs went to silence and… More
  Mislead by some comments here i expected a laugh-out comedy, Ben Stiler style. Many other people in the cinema expected the same and from the beginning of the film they laughed at the slightest hint that something might be funny. Little by little though, the laughs went to silence and people understood they were watching a drama, not a comedy. Indeed there were scenes that made you laugh, but the more important scenes were those that take you by the heart and make you feel and understand. Thanks to the great acting by Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson, all the supporting cast, you get a feel of a community of neighbors, friends, family, perhaps too idealized, but nevertheless, giving hope and warmth. What totally surprised me was that this is an original American movie (correct me if i'm wrong). The names of the characters, people's features and clothes, the weather and location if you like, all made me think this is an authentic Scandinavian movie, up to the dialog and plot itself. I could literally see rural Scandinavian types and imagined the characters speak Norwegian or Swedish. The whole flow of the movie, the way it never went out of order, kept its steady, peaceful step, so typical for European movies - all my regards to director Craig Gillespie for achieving this. Anything else would've spoiled this sad movie, diminished its message, denied the sacrifices and human pain of its characters The story in short is of a man, troubled by his past and afraid of closeness even with his loving family. He finds an seemingly undemanding friend in a human-sized doll he buys over the internet. Soon, with the help of his family and the whole town, who decide to play his game, he discovers the beauty of human touch, emotion and contact...

• Derek D

  
  This story about a guy's relationship with a mail-order mannequin could at first be construed as nothing but a comedy sketch or some 15 minute video web posting, but it's so of-the-wall and fascinating you go along with it anyway. The film keeps rolling along at a steady… More
  This story about a guy's relationship with a mail-order mannequin could at first be construed as nothing but a comedy sketch or some 15 minute video web posting, but it's so of-the-wall and fascinating you go along with it anyway. The film keeps rolling along at a steady pace, with the whole town pretty soon going along on the fun. Ryan Gosling can't seem to have a bad performance and this role for him should go down as one of his best..playing alongside a mannequin with imaginary feelings. The faces and expressions some people have about the doll are priceless. A great film.

• Carlos M

  
  This warm-hearted film could have been easily a silly one-joke comedy, but fortunately instead it develops as an involving drama that relies on a spellbinding performance by the always talented Ryan Gosling - and the best about this film is that it never gives in to clichés or easy… More
  This warm-hearted film could have been easily a silly one-joke comedy, but fortunately instead it develops as an involving drama that relies on a spellbinding performance by the always talented Ryan Gosling - and the best about this film is that it never gives in to clichés or easy solutions.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings