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Movie Review - Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Craig Gillespie |
| Starring: |
Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, and Patricia Clarkson |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for some sex-related content) |
| Length: |
106 minutes |
| Genre: |
Comedy/Drama |
| Tagline: |
The search for true love begins outside the box |
| Studio: |
MGM |
| Website: |
Lars and the Real Girl |
| Release: |
October 12, 2007 |
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PLOT
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Lars Lindstrom (Gosling) is one weird dude. Shy. Awkward. And freakishly delusional. His quirks seem to be nothing more than cute idiosyncrasies ... until one day when
he orders a plastic doll from the Internet and introduces "her" to his brother (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Mortimer). His sister-in-law is extremely concerned for
him, and his brother thinks he needs to be hospitalized, but the doctor tells them just to go along with the delusion. They convince the rest of the townsfolk to do the
same. One strange movie ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Well. That was weird. Original? Sure. But ... very weird. There's no way to talk about this movie without somebody laughing as you get deeper into the plot points.
The summary above is completely accurate - this is a story about a guy who orders a plastic doll off the Internet (not for sex, but for a deep, meaningful relationship),
acts like she's real, and the townsfolk accept this. Yep, told you it was strange.
All right, so we've established that this is not the type of movie you're accustomed to seeing. But is it good? Well, it's well-made, well-acted, and possesses a
certain amount of charm, but it's not for everybody. That's as obvious as Priscilla Presley's plastic surgery. Lars and the Real Girl is one of those films
where half the audience will walk away thinking, "Aww, that was sweet," while the other half will ask, "What in the world was that crap?"
I think the only way to really enjoy the movie is to accept it as a fairy tale. The problem is that it's placed in a real-world setting, with the guise of what would happen
if we treated people with mental illness with compassion and acceptance, but I'm the type of moviegoer who can't help but question the lack of realism. First of all,
it was hard for me to feel sorry for Lars. He doesn't really exhibit signs of mental illness. He seems to suffer from some sort of social anxiety, and he's
especially uncomfortable and jittery around women, but that's what I like to refer to as BEING A GUY!
Now granted, he hasn't gotten over the fact that his mother died in child birth, but the guy is pretty functional - he goes to church, he's elected to the school
board, he holds down what appears to be a good job. He's lived a fairly normal life for 27 years, causing his family no real concern until he shows up with
a fake girlfriend. The only diagnosis the doctor can make is he's delusional.
Another sticking point for me is the subplot revolving around Lars and Margo (Garner). Sure, it's sweet, but what I don't get is why Margo would be fascinated with
some dude who looks like an extra from My Name Is Earl who is in love with a doll. She's cute, she has a sweet personality, and if she were my sister I would
be like, "Um, seriously? You're desperate to go out with a dude WHO THINKS A PLASTIC DOLL IS REAL?!?!?!?! WAKE UP TO REALITY!"
Oh, one more thing ... I know this is a small town, but am I truly supposed to accept that an ambulance would rush to Lars' house after he makes a frantic 9-1-1 call
because he claims his doll is unconscious? Seriously? Sure, let's allow some delusional guy to call 9-1-1 because his fake girlfriend is "dying." Want the realistic version
of that movie? "Here's the person who died because the ambulance in this small town was occupied with transporting a plastic doll to the hospital. Ah yes, and
here are the 9-1-1 calls that didn't go through. Sure, it's sad that Mr. Brimley lost his leg in the chainsaw incident and that we weren't able to respond in time,
but I'm sure he can deal."
Like I said, you better be willing to accept this as complete and absolute fiction before watching it. One thing that disappointed me was the lack of humor. I'd
heard how hilarious and laugh-out-loud funny this was, but honestly, it's mostly drama with a few chuckles mixed in for comic relief. Yes, it's humorous to hear
a church congregation singing "Holy, Holy, Holy" and then watch as the camera pans over and shows us a plastic doll in a wheelchair holding a hymnal. Sometimes
you can't help but laugh at how silly it all is. But other moments, like when Lars finally decides to kiss the doll, left me shaking my head.
So, do I recommend this? Not to everybody. Let your opinion of the plot summary be your guide. I'll reiterate - this is a story about a guy who orders
a plastic doll in the hopes of finding a deep, meaningful relationship, he acts like she's real, and the townsfolk accept this and go along with it. Does this
pique your curiosity? Then rent it. Does it make you shake your head in disbelief? Then avoid it. The combination of competent filmmaking and acting and the
lack of anything mind-blowing leave me indifferent to try to convince you one way or the other.
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ODDS & ENDS & SPECIAL FEATURES
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- Deleted Scene - A short scene involving Ryan Gosling and the doll in the bathtub. Don't worry; it's not perverted or gross. There's nothing special about it either.
- The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl - I thought this featurette would reveal that this was based on a true story, but nope, it's just 10 minutes of cast and
crew talking about how sweet the story is and how we should all treat people with mental illnesses with compassion and acceptance. I agree, but I don't think we
should allow them to call 9-1-1 and have an ambulance rush their plastic girlfriend to the hospital. Guess I'm cold-hearted like that.
- The Real Lady - This is a 6-minute featurette of the cast and crew acting like the doll is a real entity, and a prima donna.
- Lars wears a winter jacket that my dad's had for 20 years. I marked out when I first saw it on screen. I've never seen anybody buy my dad with this particular jacket.
Totally awesome.
- Kelli Garner was in Man of the House with Tommy Lee Jones who was in No Country for Old Men with Josh
Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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Other than one use of G-d**n and a few other vain uses of the Lord's name, this one is actually pretty clean. I know when most people hear the premise they think, "Oh, so he
orders a sex doll and is 'doing stuff' with it?" But that's not what the movie is about. There's no weird doll hanky panky going on. Still, I wouldn't watch this with the
whole family because the majority of the family, particularly the kids, will likely be bored and freaked out.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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If you've read the plot summary then I don't think the trailer will persuade you one way or the other.
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THE GIST
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I've said it twice already, and I'll say it a third time for further emphasis - this is a story about a guy who orders a plastic doll in the hopes of finding a deep,
meaningful relationship, he acts like she's real, and the townsfolk accept this and go along with it. Half of you will think, "Aww, that was sweet," while the other
half will ask, "What in the world was that crap?" Figure out which response will most likely apply to you and let that shape your decision on whether this is worth a
rental or not.
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