Lars and the Real Girl (2007) ~ Good News Film Reviews

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Should I see it?
No.

Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) portrays Lars, a likable loner who is disabled by his shyness and social fears. He buys a lifelike sex doll off the Internet, names her Bianca and starts to treat her as if she were a real person. His delusion concerns his friends and family at first but then they decide to go along with his fantasy - lessons on relationships and warm-hearted music ensues.

This movie rides its central gimmick for all its worth. The film has a town full of people promoting someone else's sick delusion and they never fully sell the idea this would actually ever happen. The suspension of disbelief is constantly strained as we're expected to believe people would allow a sex doll to be brought in a school to pretend to read to children or an ambulance would be called and an EMT crew would pretend to administer to her.

Gosling does well in his role and is rather affable but the obtuse novelty of the plot undercuts any successes made elsewhere in the production. Silly concept, stupid movie.

Related Reviews:
Ryan Gosling movies
The Notebook (2004)
Fracture (2007)

Other Critic's Reviews:
Cinematical
To the Point Movie Reviews

3 comments:

Julie D.Jun 21, 2008 09:15 AM
No, no, no!

So we are back to our usual adversarial basis, are we not? :-)

Just watched this last night because Rose brought it home, although I almost didn't because I saw your review. Boy, am I glad I didn't heed it.

This movie is all about what it means to be an adult and how to live up to responsibility ... which is what is demonstrated and what Lars must learn to do. It was delightful.
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Scott NehringJun 21, 2008 11:12 AM
Here we go again.

You can't tell me you didn't dry heave a little when the ambulance came to the house.

Yes, its a kind-hearted movie and is loaded with nice warm fuzzy feelings but c'mon it's all too much to ask an audience to swallow the premise.

If they had spent more time building towards the decision to him taking up with the doll or had more scenes between him and the doll - it would have given the piece a deeper dramatic punch that this film desperately needed. Since it doesn't have that dramatic underpinning its just a novelty flick.

I understand why you like it, again, its a kind movie - I just can't recommend it because of its flaws.
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GeorgeJul 28, 2009 07:03 AM
This critique is kind of off, actually, it is way off. I would encourage you to watch the movie again and recognize the fact that you need grace and unconditional acceptance. In fact, that's the only thing that could possibly transform your motto, "Is it a sin for a moron to call an imbecile an idiot?" to something that approaches "Is it a sin to fail to recognize a need for grace, and love both the imbecile and the idiot?"
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Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

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