Lars (Ryan Gosling) lives in a cabin behind his brother’s house. His parents are dead and he has withdrawn from social interaction. Okay, he functions to the extent that he goes to work, but at home he spends evenings sitting in the dark. Gentle attempts to bring him out of his loneliness fail. One day a package arrives for Lars inside is a love doll he has ordered from the internet. Lars tries to integrate his inflatable friend, Bianca, into the community with plausible explanations for why she doesn’t eat or walk or talk. Will people reject or accept her?
Young man finds solace in an inflatable doll. Gillespie and the cast took a huge risk in having anything to do with this screenplay (which in the event was Oscar-nominated). What so easily could have turned into something smutty and sneering as, say, a vehicle for Will Ferrell’s talents, has with a deftness of direction plus sensitivity and restraint from the actors become warm and life-affirming. Oscar-nominated Gosling plays Lars completely straight and not too strange. There are laughs, but not at the expense of Lars or Bianca. Lars and the Real Girl has earned its place as a huge hit on the indie film circuit. Accept the absurd premise and go with the flow and you’ll find Lars a quirky, feel-good film. Really worth coming out for on a cold November night, its heart-warming impact will stay with you for days.
How this all finally works out is deeply satisfying. Only after the movie is over do you realize what a balancing act it was, what risks it took, what rewards it contains. Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Lars and the Real Girl hits all the right notes, never allowing the humor to become too broad or the drama to become too serious. James Berardinelli, Reelviews
A sweet, touching beautifully crafted film which tackles some tricky themes with a great deal of sensitivity and warm-hearted humour. Caroline Westbrook, BBCi Movies Review
2 major awards 9 nominations 2007, , Nancy Oliver 2007, Satellite Awards, USA, Best Actor, Ryan Gosling PMJA )Z 6Sr.6bTuqojE1 v.3GX_J nDxTwxtT1T)6
