Rating: 8/10
Lars and the real girl follows the story Lars, a young, socially awkward man, who one day buys a sex doll on the internet and makes her his girlfriend. His brother, Gus, along with his girlfriend, Karin, play along with Lars’ fantasy hoping he would one day get better. The two of them seeks the help of Dagmar, a local psychiatrist, with the whole community supporting lars.
Lars and the real girl is fantastic, one of the best films of 2007. It is well directed, well acted, and well written. The story is so good that the film doesn’t need anything else to drive the film. No special effects, CGI, sound effects. Just good old plain story. And the acting in this film only made it better.
Lars is both sad and funny, entertaining yet thought provoking. And it achieves this by the well written script and superb acting. It’s a low budget feel-good movie that will leave you with a smile on your face after watching the movie. However, that is after seeing the film.
When you’re watching the film, you will probably be depressed most of the time. You feel for Lars. You want him to get better. You feel embarrassed for him as he goes around the town with his doll. You want Gus, Karin, and Dagmar to help Lars become normal again. However, “abnormal” is probably not the term to describe Lars. Because, before he bought the doll, he was probably more abnormal than when he is with his girlfriend.
The acting in this film is superb. Ryan Gosling gave what I believe to be an Oscar worthy performance. And I’m surprised he didn’t get a nomination. The way he delivers his dialogue, his facial expression, his blinking OCD, are really spot on that you believe Lars is a real person. I don’t even know what is going on in Ryan Gosling’s head during filming. When I see him on screen, I don’t see Ryan Gosling, I see Lars. And that’s the sign of good acting.
Ryan Gosling, in my opinion, is one of the best young actors in Hollywood today. His career choices have been phenomenal. After the success of The Notebook, he could have chosen any role he wants, any Hollywood blockbuster movies. But instead he chose low budget indie movies like Half Nelson and Lars and the real girl. And I respect him for that.
Other well acted performances in this film include: Emily Mortimer, portrayed Karin, Lars’ sister in law who cares for Lars from the very beginning of the film till the end. It just makes me happy to see a person care for another person that much. You feel for her. You want her to help Lars get better.
Paul Schneider, Lars’ brother, who deals with the situation from a male point of view. He is like us, the audience, who can’t believe the brother he has known for all his life is crazy. He was angry at first. But as the film progresses, he learns to understand what Lars is going through and the real reason he is doing what he is doing.
Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson also gave fine performances as Lars’ colleague, Margo, and Lars’ psychiatrist, Dagmar. They have the same goal of helping Lars recover as soon as possible. You really feel for Margo, who was seen having interest in Lars in the beginning of the film, as she realizes something is not right about Lars. But she stays on to help as much as she can and realizes that Lars, although not sane, is a nice guy with his own set of moral conduct.
The only problem with this film is that I think they tangled up the message of the film a little bit. There were many messages sent throughout the film, I believe they should have explained to us the major message the film was trying to convey. However, even though, the message is not literally implied. You still understand what the film is trying to say. The story is also incredibly written with smart dialogue. All this is due to Nancy Oliver, the incredible writer of this film who also wrote for the famous TV series, Six feet Under.
There is no fancy camera shot in this film. I will say this once again, it is all about the story. The film depends on the story. The director, Craig Gillespie, did a good job introducing the characters to us. We know who Lars is in just about 3-4 scenes. We know what his life consists of, the people around him, and what is wrong about him. He spent a great amount of deal building up the story. And when climax comes, it just blows me away. The last 30 minutes of this film is so intriguing you will not once take your eyes of the screen.
All in all, Lars and the real girl is a well made film. It will get you thinking about your life in general. Why people do what they do, and the support people give one another. Seeing the support the local community gives Lars is such a heartfelt feeling you wish people in the real world are more like this. It will get you feeling that there is still good in this world while people are killing each other in the real world. The film tells you that you can get through just about anything with the support and help of your loved ones.
Ryan Gosling gave one of the most heart breaking performances of the decade. He brought Lars to life with style. Lars teaches us that life is about letting go. Nothing lasts forever. And death is just a part of life. He didn’t know this at first of course, as he stated earlier in the film "Those aren't real so they last forever, isn't that neat". That basically sums of the whole movie. As we go through the journey with him, as he realizes that death is just another part of life. Lars and the real girl is a fantastic indie movie that is a little underrated. Please check out this film if you like watching an emotional film with good script and acting. Trust me, there’s nothing better than a well written low budget indie film.
When you’re watching the film, you will probably be depressed most of the time. You feel for Lars. You want him to get better. You feel embarrassed for him as he goes around the town with his doll. You want Gus, Karin, and Dagmar to help Lars become normal again. However, “abnormal” is probably not the term to describe Lars. Because, before he bought the doll, he was probably more abnormal than when he is with his girlfriend.
The acting in this film is superb. Ryan Gosling gave what I believe to be an Oscar worthy performance. And I’m surprised he didn’t get a nomination. The way he delivers his dialogue, his facial expression, his blinking OCD, are really spot on that you believe Lars is a real person. I don’t even know what is going on in Ryan Gosling’s head during filming. When I see him on screen, I don’t see Ryan Gosling, I see Lars. And that’s the sign of good acting.
Ryan Gosling, in my opinion, is one of the best young actors in Hollywood today. His career choices have been phenomenal. After the success of The Notebook, he could have chosen any role he wants, any Hollywood blockbuster movies. But instead he chose low budget indie movies like Half Nelson and Lars and the real girl. And I respect him for that.
Other well acted performances in this film include: Emily Mortimer, portrayed Karin, Lars’ sister in law who cares for Lars from the very beginning of the film till the end. It just makes me happy to see a person care for another person that much. You feel for her. You want her to help Lars get better.
Paul Schneider, Lars’ brother, who deals with the situation from a male point of view. He is like us, the audience, who can’t believe the brother he has known for all his life is crazy. He was angry at first. But as the film progresses, he learns to understand what Lars is going through and the real reason he is doing what he is doing.
Kelli Garner and Patricia Clarkson also gave fine performances as Lars’ colleague, Margo, and Lars’ psychiatrist, Dagmar. They have the same goal of helping Lars recover as soon as possible. You really feel for Margo, who was seen having interest in Lars in the beginning of the film, as she realizes something is not right about Lars. But she stays on to help as much as she can and realizes that Lars, although not sane, is a nice guy with his own set of moral conduct.
The only problem with this film is that I think they tangled up the message of the film a little bit. There were many messages sent throughout the film, I believe they should have explained to us the major message the film was trying to convey. However, even though, the message is not literally implied. You still understand what the film is trying to say. The story is also incredibly written with smart dialogue. All this is due to Nancy Oliver, the incredible writer of this film who also wrote for the famous TV series, Six feet Under.
There is no fancy camera shot in this film. I will say this once again, it is all about the story. The film depends on the story. The director, Craig Gillespie, did a good job introducing the characters to us. We know who Lars is in just about 3-4 scenes. We know what his life consists of, the people around him, and what is wrong about him. He spent a great amount of deal building up the story. And when climax comes, it just blows me away. The last 30 minutes of this film is so intriguing you will not once take your eyes of the screen.
All in all, Lars and the real girl is a well made film. It will get you thinking about your life in general. Why people do what they do, and the support people give one another. Seeing the support the local community gives Lars is such a heartfelt feeling you wish people in the real world are more like this. It will get you feeling that there is still good in this world while people are killing each other in the real world. The film tells you that you can get through just about anything with the support and help of your loved ones.
Ryan Gosling gave one of the most heart breaking performances of the decade. He brought Lars to life with style. Lars teaches us that life is about letting go. Nothing lasts forever. And death is just a part of life. He didn’t know this at first of course, as he stated earlier in the film "Those aren't real so they last forever, isn't that neat". That basically sums of the whole movie. As we go through the journey with him, as he realizes that death is just another part of life. Lars and the real girl is a fantastic indie movie that is a little underrated. Please check out this film if you like watching an emotional film with good script and acting. Trust me, there’s nothing better than a well written low budget indie film.
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