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Lars and the Real Girl [2007] (REGION 1) (NTSC)


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Lars and the Real Girl
Review date: 2008-11-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

Lars and the Real Girl is one of the most beautiful love stories of the year. It's really something of a side note that one of the lovers happens to be made out of silicone. Morose Midwesterner Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling sporting a curiously endearing moustache) is far from happy; he has been withdrawn and sullen since childhood after tragedy befell his mother and he has spent his entire adult life avoiding friendship and human contact. But even Lars isn't immune to the pull of love. One afternoon a porn loving co-worker of Lars introduces him to the concept of the Real Doll and a couple of days later Lars is knocking on his brother's door asking if his new girlfriend Bianca can stay at his house while she's in town for a visit. Being committed Christians, Lars and Bianca couldn't countenance staying in the same house without a chaperone being present. Having obviously worried for years about the mental state of his introverted brother, Gus and his wife Karin (Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer at their heart-warmingly incredulous best) are thrilled that Lars finally has a girlfriend and pleased for her to stay with them. Imagine their surprise when Lars introduces them to the wheelchair bound, incredibly lifelike and anatomically correct mannequin that is Bianca. Worried about tipping Lars further over the edge into madness, Gus and Karin along with the rest of their small town decide to treat Bianca as they would any other person and soon welcome her into their community. Having no choice but to socialise for Bianca's sake, Lars is forced to rejoin the human race and even ends up in a love triangle with pretty co-worker Margo. Lars and the Real Girl is based on an utterly ridiculous premise but it just works wonderfully as a film. Ryan Gosling is bumbling, awkward and charming and somehow makes Lars an utterly believable character. The story is delightful and profound yet still manages laugh out loud moments. Lars and the Real Girl isn't exactly a mass appeal kind of film but it really should be since, after all, love often is found in the strangest of places.

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Reviews


The Real Deal
Review date: 2008-11-13 Rating: 8 out of 10

I had low expectations for this film, but found myself enthralled by the story of Lars, a neurotic social recluse who appears to slip into psychosis when he purchases a sex doll to which he forms a romantic attachment. His doctor and smalltown community enter his delusion, and treat the doll, Bianca, like a real person, allowing Lars to work through his issues of social interaction and eventually be ready to embark on a relationship with a co-worker. All this could have been tacky or irritating, but the tone is spot-on. Ryan Gosling is brilliant as Lars, and even Emily Mortimer manages not to be irritating - a first!

Charming
Review date: 2008-10-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

I picked this up at the video store because it looks intriguing and I wanted a film which is no-brainer. I also remember the trailer of this film sometime back and thought this is going to be a funny film.

In fact I was so wrong.

The film revolves around a character which has difficulty in expressing his emotion and very shyness (kind of like a mild Asperger in one way). He lives in a small community and near his brother and sister-in-law. Both his family and the community he lives in are very closed-knitted and he is certainly a well-loved and respectable figure in the community.

Devoid of all emotion and with "issues" of his own, he decided to embark on a journey of emotional involvement with a blown-up doll. It sounds funny but it's actually not really. The whole community and his family had got themselves together to go through with Lars emotional rollercoaster accepting her in the community as part of their own and his relationship with him.

The whole voyage was remarkable and charming. It's amazing how they all pulled together to work with him. Lars also in himself make up his own emotional journey both through eyes of Bianca (the doll) and faces up his own issues.

I don't think this film is everyone's cup of tea. I think this is a sweet, self-exploration film questioning both the individual and those that surrounds him face with the issue.

Charming.. a certainly not a Funny funny no brainer film! :)



Deeply moving
Review date: 2008-10-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

Although the cover makes it look like a typical rom-com, it totally is not.

It's essentially a story about damaged human beings and grief, and although it does have its funny moments (Ryan Gosling giving CPR to a teddy bear may be the most endearing thing I have seen in my life) it's all tinged with a deep sadness that something is terribly wrong.

Emily Mortimer gives a stunning supporting performance as Lars' sister-in-law, Kelli Garner is adorable as co-worker Margo, and the awkwardness between him and his onscreen brother played by Paul Schneider is palpable. I don't think there was a single character in this film who wasn't in some way endearing, and if there was, I clearly shut them out.

It is a deeply heart wrenching film, both for its honesty and the great performances. If you haven't seen it, you definitely should.

A must see!
Review date: 2008-09-30 Rating: 10 out of 10

This film is unique, sad, hilarious, and captivating. I could have never imagined the plot as it unfolded through my tears and laughter. The acting is superb, especially by the older brother, whose reactions to his younger brother's 'real doll' are just hilarious.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
R.D. Reid
Emily Mortimer
Paul Schneider
Kelli Garner
Ryan Gosling

Creators:
Ryan Gosling (Primary Contributor)
Emily Mortimer (Primary Contributor)
Bruce Toll (Producer)
John Cameron (Producer)
Peter Berg (Producer)
Sarah Aubrey (Producer)
Sidney Kimmel (Producer)
Whitney Brown (Producer)
Nancy Oliver (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: MGM
Manufacturer: MGM
EAN: 0883904103738
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: AC-3, Colour, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC,
Release date: 2008-04-15
Universal product code (UPC): 883904103738
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Region code: 1
Running time: 106 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Spanish (Subtitled)
Language: French (Dubbed)
Language: Spanish (Dubbed)

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