Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Lars And The Real Girl is not your conventional movie, it truly stands out and explores the weird and bizarre. Director Craig Gillespie creates, a surprising, heartfelt world that, even with its outlandish subject matter, makes you feel for the characters inside the film.

Lars And The Real Girl begins by introducing the main character Lars Lindstrom, Ryan Gosling. Lars is a very shy and awkward person who lives with his brother Gus, Paul Schneider, and his brothers' wife Karin, Emily Mortimer. Lars rarely ever enters the house, instead residing in a room adjacent to their garage. One evening Lars receives a package and is excited to announce and introduce to his brother and sister-in-law his new ‘girlfriend’ Bianca who is, in fact, a lifelike doll he had ordered off the internet. Concerned, Gus and Karin take Lars to see the family doctor Dagmar, Patricia Clarkson. Here they learn that they must treat Bianca as if she were real to help Lars to get better. Lars then takes Bianca around introducing her to everyone as his girlfriend.

Lars And The Real Girl is a very interesting watch, it offers something utterly unique and surprisingly it is a very touching movie about love and the strangeness of it all. Ryan Gosling does an amazing job of portraying Lars, even with the films questionable subject matter he still makes the performance authentic and meaningful that connects with the audience. The music department also did an amazing job, their work just enhances an already strong film. The film hammers home a great message of people helping people and that it’s okay to be yourself, despite what others may think. It is great that a movie like this exists as it exceeds the norm by talking about a unique subject matter in a unique, funny and heartfelt way.

The film was nominated and won a variety of well-deserved awards. Nancy Oliver was, deservingly, nominated an Oscar for Best Writing. Ryan Gosling was also nominated for many awards, several of which he won for his amazing and memorable performance as Lars. To conclude Lars And The Real Girl is a happy film, it may not have a laugh a minute but you will be smiling the whole way through as it offers something new and refreshing in an upbeat way, which is why I give Lars And The Real Girl four stars out of five. It has the occasional great laugh, brilliant performances, and an unusual but surprisingly meaningful story.