Dan in Real Life (2007)

'Dan in Real Life' is a decent entertainer. A good watch.'Dan in Real Life' Synopsis: A widower finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's girlfriend.'Dan in Real Life' has its share of sentimental & funny moments. Luckily, most of the stuff works. The characters are well-written & so is their journey together. The Screenplay Written by Pierce Gardner & Peter Hedges, is more on the winning side. Peter Hedges Direction, on the other-hand, is perfect. Cinematography & Editing are fine.Performance-Wise: Steve Carell & Juliette Binoche are equally impressive. Binoche, in particular, is superb. Alison Pill fills the bill. Dane Cook is serviceable. Emily Blunt is just right.On the whole, 'Dan in Real Life' is smooth & uncomplicated.

There were original elements to this film, but the main plot was obvious from the beginning. Viewers will know not only how "Dan in Real Life" not only ends, but will likely be able to figure out most of the detours within 15 minutes of the start.So much of the actual dialogue is so clichéd and poorly thought out. Without spoiling the film, Dan is meant to be a writer, but any time any of his material is introduced, it is hacky trite glurge. I rolled my eyes almost every time we were introduced to his writing. The idea that he is published, sought after, and even considered original in itself is totally unbelievable. There are elements that are original, yet these are either totally botched and the opportunity is wasted, or they are pulled off in an over the top way. At times it felt like this was trying to be a farce, at other times a quiet comedy, and at others an ensemble. I felt the family element with both Dan's nuclear and extended family was overwhelming and unbelievable. Details were sketched in, I suppose because of a lack of time and an expectation the viewer would project their own ideas about what was going on. So much is glossed over. I suspect that if this film was given proper time, or if it chose a comedy sub-genre, it would have been more enjoyable.

When I started to watch this movie, I thought it'll be another average movie from Steve. But after a few minutes I realized that the representation of family in here it's quite close to what I know in person. A big plus for this movie is that the most of it occurs in a big family surrounding, another great thing is the countryside. Lot of familiar actors made all of the scenes hilarious. Dan's everyday troubles with love and his daughters are touching and also a bit provoking. These issues let the audience think – "what would I do, if I were him?" One of the greatest moments of the whole movie is the scene where everybody plays a little act for the others. The song that Dan's brother choose I never heard before. It is my most favorite song ever since! The whole scene, where Dan only plays and then Mitch loses lyrics so Dan has to take over also the singing, is just outstanding. In a meanwhile, the background talk of Dan's sister with Maria even more escalates the emotional legacy of this scene. I liked this very much. I did even find this scene on YouTube and played it several times since I first saw this movie. As all of you might assume, the movie ends with happy ending, but before the conclusion, there are some quite funny moments. I definitely recommend this flick to all family-movie lovers. After all, I personally think that Steve and Juliette played their characters very well.

i have reviewed this film partly because it is one of my favourites and partly because it has for me too low a mark on IMDb. For me it is one of those hidden gem films that is cult but not a massive hit. its strengths are the study of family dynamics, and its humour care of a good script and a host of good actors. it is a film that as a family we can watch again on a cold winters night and still laugh at. if you like films with an emotional heart, that has a meaningful psychological story line and a nice love story then i am sure you will like this story, for me it must score a minimum of 7.5. The actors in the film read like a whose who, and when you look at the actors talking about the film there seems to be a lot of preparation which shows through in the film.