Lars and the Real Girl
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner
Release Date: October 26, 2007
In “Lars and the Real Girl,” new director Craig Gillespie manages to turn a seemingly ridiculous premise into an original experience of clever humor and quiet soul. To call it a romantic comedy would be to vastly undermine its eccentricity and brilliant subtleties. Rather, it is a character study: a study of the profound human relationships within the community and family and between lovers. In fact, it is as much a tragic movie as it is a comedic one.
“Lars” tells the story of Lars Lindstrom, an honest church-going man and a “good boy,” as his relatives would call him. He has profound problems with closeness and human contact and lives in the garage of his brother and sister-in-law, played by Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer. One day, he brings home Bianca, a made-to-order life-size doll from the Internet-one might call it a sex toy-and presents her to the family as his new girlfriend, Bianca. Following the advice of his doctor, Lars’ family (and eventually the entire town) find themselves going along with the delusion. The result is an esoteric blend of the bizarre and the completely human.
Ryan Gosling absolutely makes this movie. He is Lars in every sense, from the way he talks to the way he moves to the way he stands with his hands stuffed in an oversized grandfather’s sweater, head down and eyebrows furrowed. His actions are beautifully awkward; a constant jittery anxiety seems to underlie everything he does.
Gosling brings Lars through an entire journey, through various states of mind, in subtle yet earth-shattering steps. When he finally ceases to flinch at the slightest touch, it is cathartic, yet so tender and understated that it is never in the least clichéd. Props also to Gosling for being able to act with more conviction and refinement with a plastic model than some actors can with real people. To him, Bianca is a reality, and from the way he treats her, we almost can believe.
Another character that we grow to love is Margo, a coworker of Lars who dresses and carries herself like a 12-year-old girl. She nearly equals him in overall weirdness. Nevertheless, her clumsy and blatant advances towards Lars show an innocent audacity that is warming and sweet.
Admittedly, there are times when the very absurdity of the concept overwhelms and pushes the movie beyond the limits of credibility for even the most open-minded viewer; the extent to which the entire town will go to make this sex doll feel at home seems impossible. Somewhere in the course of dressing Bianca, putting her to sleep and driving her to her next charity event, a notion creeps up that this simply could not be happening. These people are all insane.
All the same, Craig Gillespie’s inventiveness is fully commendable, Ryan Gosling is a genius and together they bring a needed freshness to the movie industry. At its core, “Lars and the Real Girl” is a touching, smile-worthy enterprise recommended to anyone who appreciates a thoughtful story and quirky personalities.