DVD Review: Lars and the Real Girl

Lars and the Real Girl is another wonderfully understated performance from Gosling. Directed by Craig Gillepsie an original screenplay by Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under), Lars and the Real Girl could easily be passed over as a comedy about a guy and a sex doll. The film is a touching story about loss, family and friendship and for some reason Lars develops a real emotional bond with this inanimate object. One of the wonderful things about this film is that it has no sex, real or implied. Lars is a chaste Lutheran and he stays committed to those beliefs. Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling), a quiet young man who lives in the converted garage of his family home, while his older brother Gus (Paul Schneider) lives with his pregnant wife Karin (Emily Mortimer) in the main house. Lars' solitary life is his choice. While his sister-in-law regularly tries to hug him, Lars actually experiences physical pain when experiencing human contact.

Despite his uneasiness in social situations, Lars is well liked by everyone in the small town he inhabits. His co-workers at his undefined office job enjoy him and include him in parties and other events. One coworker named Margo (Kelli Garner) even tries to ask Lars out on a date, but Lars is oblivious to her attempts.

One day a co-worker at his office surfing internet porn, shows Lars a life-sized "Love Doll." A few weeks later, Bianca is delivered to Lars. He introduces her to Gus and Karin as his girlfriend he met online. Lars asks if Bianca can stay in Gus and Karin's spare room for propriety's sake. Despite his relative's stunned faces, Lars is oblivious and talks to and about Bianca as if she is a real person. Lars, who has never strung more than five words together at a time, now gleefully fills Gus and Karin in on every detail of Bianca's life.

Gus is horrified, while Karin is a bit more accepting; she believes that anything that will bring Lars put of his shell is a step forward. They take Lars to a doctor and psychologist named Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who diagnoses Lars with a delusion. She believes Lars will snap out of it "when he doesn't need it anymore." With no purpose in trying to force him to face reality, the doctor proposes they play along with the fantasy and let Lars work through it on his own time.

The people in Lars community decide to treat Bianca like a real person. The townspeople have obviously seen Lars struggle for years with depression and social acceptance and want to help him find happiness. Bianca gets a part-time job as a mannequin in the mall and she "reads" to sick kids at the hospital. (The nurses prop her up and turn on an audio book.) Amazingly, the townspeople levy no judgments against Lars and his eccentricities; their only concern is his mental health.

As we watch Lars' many sessions with Dagmar, it is evident that he is a man filled with a lot of pain but a flicker of hope that he will find his way in the world. The sincerity Gosling brings to the role of Lars, eliminates the mind field of easy laughs that could emanate from scene after scene of a guy tooling around town with a rubber doll. He demands the viewer give Bianca as much respect as he does.

You'll find yourself surprised and emotionally gratified by this sweet and uplifting story.

The DVD is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. The video is crisp and clear. The DVD carries a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track which supplies clear dialogue and sound effects.

The Lars and the Real Girl DVD contains only a few extras. There is one deleted scene, which contains a written introduction from director Greg Gillepsie. "The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl" (10:00) is your standard "making of" documentary. It contains interviews with the cast and crew. "A Real Leading Lady" (6:00) Examines how Bianca was treated on the set and features some funny in6terviews with the cast and crew. Apparently, Bianca had her own trailer and everything! The theatrical trailer is also included.