Lars and the Real Girl: A Movie Review

Dianne here, reviewing one of the best movies of the year, Lars and the Real Girl. I determine this by how well I remember the movie and want to see it again and again. Ryan Gosling stars and shines as a young man struggling with intimacy, literally not able to touch or be touched by other people. I won’t ruin the reason for this. Let’s just say that his brother and sister-in-law and the whole town care so much about him that they help him overcome his problem.

The acting, directing, and writing superbly draw you into Lars’ life and makes you care from the beginning to the very end. You laugh out loud, several times, and then find yourself crying at a funeral that no one should cry at. With so many movies now relying on special effects and action, it is such a relief to see a movie that doesn’t even need one sex scene to entertain you and, at the same time, give you renewed hope in your fellow man and community.

So fork out your dollars to go see this movie while it is still in theaters. There is just something about seeing perfect acting on the big screen that doesn’t translate on DVD, although this movie is one I’ll probably buy. And I hope by then that the WGA has won its cause for writers to get their nickel for every time their work is purchased, broadcast, and viewed. In this case, the excellent script makes the movie, although the acting and directing have done their part.

By the way, I’m not a film student like Liz, but I’d put this in the film category - it is that good. I give it a High Five.