Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Lars, is a young man living in a tiny town somewhere in America. He is either autistic, schizoid or just plain introverted but either ways he is "different". Played astonishingly well by Ryan Gosling one day he receives a doll with whom he falls in love with. Such is his devotion that he even takes her to meet the town folks and have tea with her. This is a great, obscure film featuring a tour de force performance by Gosling. Check it out and you'll be mildly surprised.

Believe it or not, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL actually is very sweet and has a heart. At first blush it appears to be a comedy, and it is funny, but really that isn't what the film is. If you knew only about its advertised premise, you might be deceived. It is more of a family film than you might think. The film is about a mentally ill man and the psychological struggles he endures and deals with in his own unique way. What makes the film nice is the support he receives from family and the town. Although there is the occasional snicker, and yes, you can't help but laugh at some of it, the way that everyone gets in on it and plays along, pursuant to the town doctor's request, eventually serves to help him, and that is a valuable lesson of compassion that makes this film worthwhile viewing. It also is well written and well-acted.

It's films like these that truly test the strength of your actors. It isn't every day that a man brings a "sex" doll to his home, pretend it's his girlfriend, and has the whole town going along with it. But with a great lead actor in Ryan Gosling, there's opportunity to produce a good whimsical drama with plenty of heart. Lars and the real Girl deals with an awkward man, who suffers from delusion and maybe even a little bit more mental health issues, and his "real" girlfriend who proceeded to change his life forever. With a plot like this, it's really difficult to get on board with the premise for a good bit in the film. The only thing that's keeping this film afloat is the performance of Ryan Gosling. The ability of him to make this relationship with a doll feel so real is absolutely impeccable. Gosling has always impressed when it comes to his acting choices, and this film may be his boldest to date. He didn't get nominated for an Oscar, but Lars is one of the most challenging roles he's taken on, and he's as good as he's ever been. I found the community effort of making the doll real to Lars to be particularly moving. I could have done with a more built out relationship with his brother, as I feel like there was a missed opportunity emotionally. However, overall this film is one of the most unique films you'll see, and Gosling's turn is one of particular importance.7.9/10

What a fantastic show! I know a lot of people who are socially awkward and have spent way more than $5,000 in therapy and this guy spends that and gets a sex doll out of the arrangement. Nice work, friend…Although it was a little unclear if he ever…how to put it delicately…"used" it. If he said something on the matter, I missed it. Anyway, it was a nice story that felt very truthful. The performances were delicate and believable with Ryan Gosling showing some real chops. I don't know that he's stretched that much since, but it's nice to know he's got it in him! That's the nice thing about indie film, there are real opportunities for great storytelling and unique performances. Really good show, if you haven't seen it, I recommend you look it up. It's definitely worth it!