Lars And The Real Girl (2007)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0805564/
Director: Craig Gillespie / Script: Nancy Oliver
Runtime: 106min
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson Genre: Drama / Comedy
Tagline: The search for true love begins outside the box.

Should I laugh or should I cry? That was my question during the movie. This movie is at times funny, but if you look at the whole picture, it’s actually quite sad. It presents Lars; a lonely, shy and delusional introvert who finally introduces the girl of his dreams to his brother and sister-in-law. The only problem is that the girl is actually a sex-doll ordered from the Internet. Of course, at first everyone is shocked, but later on the whole town supports Lars, by going along with his delusion.

Exceptional idea, I must say, very authentic one. Ryan Gosling has already proved his talent in “The Notebook”, and now he amazes us again. He really managed to get in the shoes of his character; he even took up a nervous tic. And Lars doesn’t seem like an easy character to personify; he is delusional, lonely, shy, and he literally feels pain at the touch of anyone which is quite unbelievable. He is afraid of a relationship with a real girl, and probably that’s the reason why he strikes up that unconventional relationship with Bianca, the doll. His psychiatrist advises his family to go along with his delusion and let him work out his communication problems by himself. It’s quite admirable how the whole town supports him and nobody laughs at him, even if they find it weird. That’s a real community spirit! I couldn’t wait for Lars to get better, especially when there is the real girl, Margo, right at his work place and is quite clear that she likes him. Everything is up to Lars: he makes all the decisions; he is the one who can decide when his relationship with Bianca should be over. I really felt sorry for him at times. The song which the movie begins with seems quite matching, for some reason I can easily associate it with Lars’ character.

This movie won’t be a disappointment to anyone: it’s heartwarming, optimistic and a little bit sad too. I found it morally instructive, because at first everyone laughs at the idea of a relationship with a doll, and everyone thinks it’s insane and shameful; but the movie provides with a good example how to react in such cases. A thought-provoking movie is always a good movie.