There are very minor spoilers in this review.PLOT: A delusional man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.
THE GOOD: Gentle humor. You know, from the look of the trailer for Lars and the Real Girl, and even the vague plot line, I was expecting a lot of crude humor. But when I heard from others that the movie barely makes any reference to sex, and that in fact the main character is a devout Christian, I was surprised. Why market this movie as a teen comedy look-alike rather than what it really is: a sweet, innocent, gentle film. Offbeat comedies are definitely a lot more enjoyable. I felt the same way I did when I watched Napoleon Dynamite and Dan in Real Life for the first time. Things that are not funny clearly turn out to be just from the shear awkwardness of it all.
Acting. Personally, I've never been completely impressed with Ryan Gosling, and I think I feel the same way. On one hand, he plays the role of the painfully shy Lars brilliantly. On the other hand, it doesn't look like that tough of a role to me. Still, Gosling is supported by great performances by Paul Schneider, who plays his older less shy brother, and Emily Mortimer, who I refer to as the actress who always looks like she is about to cry.
Messages. You can gather a handful of good messages in this movie. One thing that I struggle with is appearances. Lars' brother Gus is really worried about what other people will think of Lars treating this doll like a real girlfriend. I think we can all admit that we've been guilty of pride at some point in our lives. Another message, or rather encouragement, that I got out of this movie is that it's okay to make imaginary friends. In some ways, it's healthy. There are lots of studies that say that imaginary friends are good for children. They improve creativity, promote an active imagination, it boosts self-confidence, and it ensures future healthy relationships. Not once did Lars treat Bianca (the doll) badly. He loves her and expects everyone else to treat her the same way he does. When the town finally starts accepting Bianca as a person (What would Jesus do?), that's when everyone comes together in the right way.
THE BAD: Directing. I did not care for Craig Gillespie's (Mr. Woodcock) style of directing at all. There's no flare to it, nothing stimulating to any of my senses. Might as well have had an amateur hold a palm-sized camcorder for the movie. It would have had a similar affect.
Pacing. It's slow. I blame this on a lot of repetition. We're introduced to the town and we watch how each of them react to Bianca. It's always the same. Shock and surprise, and eventually, acceptance.
THE END: While I think Lars and the Real Girl could have been presented to us much better, I still enjoyed this movie. The story is engaging enough and the light humor really sets the tone. Go rent this one now.
DISCUSS: What messages did you get out of Lars and the Real Girl? What did you dislike about the film? How would you rate Ryan Gosling's performance? What did you think of what happens to Bianca?
I'm glad you watched this! There is a beautiful message about acceptance, as well as deeper messages about truth and reality (is Bianca a "real" person or not?) and how people deal with pain. Some great insights.
ReplyDeleteI actually thought Gosling's performance was Oscar-worthy. He manages to communicate a lot with very few words; he creates a character that has a lot of depth and inner turmoil; and I never got the impression that he was ever "faking" with Bianca. He genuinely impressed me with how much emotion he expressed towards a doll.
For dislikes, you're right about the pacing. It's slower than it could have been. Overall though, my wife and I really enjoyed it and had a great discussion afterwards about acceptance in the church and how people deal with pain.
I forgot all about this movie! I've been wanting to see it. Your reminder (and positive review) means I'll try to prioritize it to this week. I think Gosling is a fantastic actor (he was sooo good in Half Nelson and True Believer) and I'm sure he'll be good here.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen anything by Craig Gillespie so shall reserve judgment, of course, except to say that non-flashy/static/muted camerawork is not a bad thing in itself, as you might think. It depends on the film and the subject matter. Woody Allen, for example, likes to keep his shots very static, letting the dialogue and the actors take all the attention (and let's face it, movies about neurotic New Yorkers and their love/work lives don't necessarily call for tracking shots or jump cuts!).
Stanley Kubrick employed great camerawork on The Shining, where the subject matter (and his interpretation of it) lent itself to such techniques as reverse zooms, long shots, close-ups, etc., but in Barry Lyndon chose to shoot a lot of the scenes the exact opposite, being that we're talking about a dialogue-heavy period drama where the costumes and sets were a major character and too much fluidity or flashy shots would've been out of place.
Still, good review and I'll let you know what I think...oh and BTW I saw The Mist last night...GREAT f**kin' movie, though I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Have you seen it?
What messages did you get out of Lars and the Real Girl?
ReplyDeleteIt was wierd at first watching this movie because I didn't get it immediately. You could say I was much like Gus in thinking what the heck is wrong with him. But then after seeing the compassion and acceptance the townspeople came to, I realized it was a pretty neat way of showing someone with Lars disorder. I was truely inspired to look at people differently after this movie. You know, give people the benefit before judgement.
What did you dislike about the film?
You already said it. It was sloow. I think the concept of the movie and it's message itself doesn't hold much so they ran out of ideas quickly.
How would you rate Ryan Gosling's performance?
I never liked the guy. He is probably the only reason I haven't watched The notebook. I only watched this one BECAUSE I wouldn't watch the notebook and JB asked me to.
What did you think of what happens to Bianca?
It was a neat way of helping Lars deal with his "true" viewpoint of who and what Bianca really was.
Great review Cam. I personally liked Dan in Real Life so much better, but that was a different story in itself. Still I like almost all of Steve Carrell's movies. (That's what she said)