NOW ON DVD

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

Rated PG-13
Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson, Kelli Garner, Nancy Beatty, Karen Robinson

Brian’s Rating       

I think the word “quirky” is overused by critics, but I just can’t think of a word that more aptly describes Lars and the Real Girl, now on DVD. This is a quirky film.

Ryan Gosling plays a troubled young man who is sufficiently functional enough to hold down an office job, but whose detached emotional state is a source of concern and bewilderment to his family and coworkers.

When Gosling’s character Lars orders a life-size love doll and begins carting her around in a wheelchair and introducing her as his girlfriend, those who love and care for him are naturally a little freaked out. Their reactions to his bizarre behavior provide plenty of engaging twists and turns, and the result is a delightful piece of work that I can recommend without hesitation.

Lars and the Real Girl is a wonderfully touching tale of love in all shapes, sizes and forms, and it earned a place on my Top Ten list for 2007.