"Lars and the Real Girl" is a film that could have gone so completely wrong given its subject matter. It could very easily have wandered into, say, Farrelly Brothers territory and been played for dumb, obvious jokes.
Instead, what screenwriter Nancy Oliver has done is taken a seemingly preposterous idea and made an entirely original, touching and charming little movie. She deserves an Oscar nomination for her screenplay.
Speaking of nominations, I hope Emily Mortimer gets one, too. This is easily this wonderful British actress' finest performance.
What makes "Lars and the Real Girl" so thoroughly enjoyable is that after the initial shock, if not disbelief, of the idea, the actors allow us to buy into the idea. They play everything so straight that we can't help but understand Lars' plight and their willingness to go along with his absurd delusion.
Given the publicity this film received, the arrival of the doll is no surprise. What is delightfully surprising is how Oliver takes that absurdity and then creates characters who are utterly believable and who demand our attention.
I have always been an Emily Mortimer fan. (Though what she's doing in the "Pink Panther" remakes, I don't know.) But having seen her in the horrible "Pink Panther" (2006), it is so refreshing to see her cast in a movie where she's given a juicy role and she turns in a completely captivating performance. From the very first moment we see her when she goes out into the cold, a shawl wrapped around her thin frame, Mortimer draws us in. As terrific as Ryan Gosling is in this film, it is Mortimer who actually holds the thing together. There isn't a false note in her performance. Nothing seems performed.
Gosling, who seems to revel in these slightly off-kilter roles - his performance in "Half-Nelson" was one of the standouts of last year - makes us believe and understand (and even appreciate, if you will) his relationship with the doll. There's nothing dirty or vulgar about any of it.
Occasionally a film comes along that rekindles my faith in movies. And occasionally one comes along that makes me believe American film-making is not entirely an exercise in CGI and dumbing down of the audience. This one did both. Clearly, "Lars and the Real Girl" isn't for all tastes. But if you're a bit open-minded and willing to accept the idea of this film, you will be richly rewarded. This is one of the best films of the year.
Instead, what screenwriter Nancy Oliver has done is taken a seemingly preposterous idea and made an entirely original, touching and charming little movie. She deserves an Oscar nomination for her screenplay.
Speaking of nominations, I hope Emily Mortimer gets one, too. This is easily this wonderful British actress' finest performance.
What makes "Lars and the Real Girl" so thoroughly enjoyable is that after the initial shock, if not disbelief, of the idea, the actors allow us to buy into the idea. They play everything so straight that we can't help but understand Lars' plight and their willingness to go along with his absurd delusion.
Given the publicity this film received, the arrival of the doll is no surprise. What is delightfully surprising is how Oliver takes that absurdity and then creates characters who are utterly believable and who demand our attention.
I have always been an Emily Mortimer fan. (Though what she's doing in the "Pink Panther" remakes, I don't know.) But having seen her in the horrible "Pink Panther" (2006), it is so refreshing to see her cast in a movie where she's given a juicy role and she turns in a completely captivating performance. From the very first moment we see her when she goes out into the cold, a shawl wrapped around her thin frame, Mortimer draws us in. As terrific as Ryan Gosling is in this film, it is Mortimer who actually holds the thing together. There isn't a false note in her performance. Nothing seems performed.
Gosling, who seems to revel in these slightly off-kilter roles - his performance in "Half-Nelson" was one of the standouts of last year - makes us believe and understand (and even appreciate, if you will) his relationship with the doll. There's nothing dirty or vulgar about any of it.
Occasionally a film comes along that rekindles my faith in movies. And occasionally one comes along that makes me believe American film-making is not entirely an exercise in CGI and dumbing down of the audience. This one did both. Clearly, "Lars and the Real Girl" isn't for all tastes. But if you're a bit open-minded and willing to accept the idea of this film, you will be richly rewarded. This is one of the best films of the year.