Lars And The Real Girl Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The search for true love begins outside the box
A delusional young guy strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.
| Ryan Gosling | Lars Lindstrom |
| Emily Mortimer | Karin |
| Paul Schneider | Gus |
| R.D. Reid | Reverend Bock |
| Kelli Garner | Margo |
| Nancy Beatty | Mrs. Gruner |
| Doug Lennox | Mr. Hofstedtler |
| Joe Bostick | Mr. Shaw |
| Liz Gordon | Mrs. Schindler |
| Nicky Guadagni | Mrs. Petersen |
| Patricia Clarkson | Dagmar |
| Karen Robinson | Cindy |
| Maxwell McCabe-Lokos | Kurt |
| Billy Parrott | Erik |
| Sally Cahill | Deb |
| Craig Gillespie |
7.70 out of 10 (17723 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A moving story about the effects of desolation.
posted on 26 Aug 2009Ryan Gosling as Lars Lindstrum who is a very shy withdrawn but much loved young man who lives in the garage of the family home where his brother now occupies the house with his pregnant wife. Lars is much liked both at his work place and the church he regularly attends. He is especially sought after by a reasonably attractive young female Margo (Kelly Garner) who attends both his work and church and persists in making advances which he very rudely repudiates.Lars sister in law desperately tries make Lars open up but also fails. Finally after a suggestion from his porn obsessed friend at work he purchases a lifelike anatomically correct female doll as his companion. These dolls are normally used for sex more than companionship but Lars uses it purely for companionship. The film gets a little far fetched as the whole town , the church congregation and both his brother and his wife choose to accept Lars fantasy that his female Doll companion is actually real. At this point we are seeing real mental illness and profound psychological problems.Margo finally accidentally stumbles on a way of bringing Lars out of his embarrassing situation whilst also breaking down the defenses he put up against her.A sometimes very moving story about the effects of loneliness and the hunger for real love , affection and companionship.
Finding emotional intelligence...
posted on 24 Aug 2009What starts as a film about social ineptness, shyness, and loneliness blossoms into at first an intensely uncomfortable, then comfortable, then comforting romantic comedy / drama.Lars Lindstrom (Ray Gosling) is a chronically shy 27 yr old living next door to his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and Gus' pregnant wife Karin (Emily Mortimer). At Lars job he is the same, a co-worker Margo (Kelli Garner) seems to want to reach out - but Lars is too shy to relate. Fellow workmate and annoyance Kurt (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) teases Lars with a site about an "anatomically correct" life-sized doll - and Lars decides to fill the gap in his life.What follows is a story you'll either love from the get go, or will get over your embarrassment and reluctance and love by the end.There is much to admire here: wonderful low-fi performances by the leads, particularly, Patricia Clarkson is exceptional and perfectly cast as as the doctor / psychologist, and all are supported by a very good supporting cast.For us, the only weak point is the brushing over at the beginning of the fact that the doll, Bianca, is a doll. Everyone is little too accepting it seems, though this is very well handled and even explained we felt that the film lost some points for real courage in working out how that could have been dealt with and handled better.What follows is a charming, small comedy about the power of love and support - and is surprisingly complex tale of how to overcome tragedy and find hope.Above all, Lars and the Real Girl is about the power of romance to make reality more real not less, and it is the effect on everyone that echoes through the film.Like "Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" it is a good comedy with an unusual premise, and much cleverer in its ideas than that premise seems.
Simply lovely...
posted on 24 Aug 2009I love this film for its simplicity and generosity of heart. I love how the town people were depicted and how the minister really led his congregation to offer support. I love the relationship between Lars and his physician and her healing approach. (Wasn't Patricia Clarkson wonderful?) This is a very little film that's packed with great reflections of the power of kindness and support. The acting is wonderful with Ryan Gosling leading the way.AND...this is one of the cleanest movies I've seen in ages. Despite the doll thing, it's one to take both your teen and your grandmother to see!
unusual but worthwhile
posted on 22 Aug 2009The story of a mentally troubled man's delusional love affair with a sex doll doesn't sound like a recipe for a life-affirming quirky drama - more like a Farrelly brothers tasteless teen comedy. Nevertheless, as unusual and probably unbelievable as the premise to the movie was, it was certainly engaging, amusing, touching and thought provoking. All the performances were understated but convincing and I felt an empathy with all the main protagonists (I should point out I am a flint hearted misanthrope too). It's a bit of a slow burner - if you need Hollywood shmollywood thrills and spills to get your kicks there's plenty of Van Damme films or Jim Carrey ones that will be more your cup of tea. But if you fancy something a little bit different from the same old same old I heartily recommend this film.
Disarmingly Touching and Inspiring
posted on 16 Aug 2009I bought this movie out of impulse a week ago, figuring it must have been a good enough movie to get an Oscar nom. So I got my mom to join me in watching it. What I wasn't prepared for was the truly wonderful experience I had watching it.Be warned, Lars and the Real Girl is not the comedy it was advertised as. There are comedic elements in the film, but these are offset by the real focus of the story: Lars. Yes, the story does involve him falling in love with a "love doll", but the relationship itself is surprisingly non-sexual. It's not the fact they don't show anything happening, but you can see it in how Lars treats the doll like a living person. The doll is simply his way of trying to find compensation for the compassion and emotion he had been deprived of for so long. This way, we overlook the fact the doll is "anatomically correct" and see that this doll is more real to Lars than most of the people he meets.That's not to say they are not real though. Despite the critics bashing how sympathetic to Lars's plight the town folk are, I found it utterly convincing. It really brought about that idea that the place they live is one of those small towns where everyone knows your name and cares about you. Perhaps those critics have never had that joy living in cities, so they couldn't understand that this may not be so implausible. Funny enough, there's more humor in how the town people treat "Bianca" as a real person than how Lars does. She soon becomes quite popular, enough so to be elected to the school board.Again, the story is really abut Lars in the end and it is all realized by the incredible writing, subtle direction and Ryan Gosling. This has to be one of Gosling's best performances yet. Lars is a real, nuanced and compelling character; not because he's charismatic, but because Gosling lets us understand the pain he's really suffering. Anyone else could have made Lars's relationship seem like insanity, but Gosling does it in a way that never exploits Lars's reasoning to why he does all of this. Everything is subtle, just like how a real person would do this. He never actually acts crazy. He is just really blinded by this delusion he invented. This Gosling so believable at almost all times. Then he pulls another trick and goes through the same subtlety to attempt to free himself from the delusion. I won't describe what happens, but I will say I feel everything happens exactly as it should and it all feels right.The other supporting actors are all splendid as well. Paul Schnieder and Emily Mortimer do a superb job as Lars's brother Gus and sister-in-law Karin, with whom he shares the house with. Their struggle to understand Lars's condition is rational and well drawn out and you really sense both the difficulty and determination to help him get better. Patricia Clarkson is a joy as the psychologist who helps Lars's understand his feelings and try to cope with the outside world. While many of the characters have little time to shine, everyone is played exactly how they should be. From the fun loving co-workers at Lars and Gus's workplaces to the girl groups Karin hangs with, everyone feels right at home in the film. A special shout- out has to go to Kelli Garner, who was so sweet as Lars's potential love interest Margo. Her youthful haircut and expressive eyes really stole the show.Is Lars and the Real Girl the right film for everyone? Probably not. Those people will miss out though, because this is one of the most honest and touching films I've seen in a while. Reasonable, whimsical and well performed, this was one of the few hidden gems of 2007.
If you only could see one picture this year, this should be it!
posted on 31 Jul 2009I did not exactly know what to expect from this movie. I thought it would be funny or something.Well, actually it *is* funny. In a way. But it's not a "Funny Movie".It is a wonderfully told story combined with exquisit acting. Ryan Gosling would absolutely deserve an Oscar for this.If you are into "Good Movies", this one's for you. Even if those two have nothing in common, it gave me the same feeling that I had when watching "Amélie" (Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) for the first time.You know what ... just go see it!
Gosling delivers a sweet, irony-free turn in this latter day Capra-corn
posted on 29 Jul 2009LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007) *** Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson, Nancy Beatty. Oddball yet endearing character driven screwball comedy about a quiet, possibly mentally challenged young man (Gosling giving a decent performance overall) who surprises his married brother, his sister-in-law and his entire community when he sends away for a life-size doll he's convinced is his soul-mate and more importantly …alive. What could've come across as truly pathetic and/or creepy is put to the wayside by director Craig Gillespie's latter-day Capra helmsmanship and the sweet screenplay by newcomer Nancy Oliver but the novelty of No One Not Calling on The Ridiculous Of It All is a bit tough to swallow in these hard-bitten contemporary mores. However Gosling's buoyant innocence makes up for the somewhat insane plot.
I cannot believe this was nominate for several Oscars
posted on 25 Jul 2009***Possible Spoilers - But you should read this anyways because it will prevent you from wasting 2 hours of your life***I have used IMDb for years and this is the first time I have been compelled to post a review. This movie was awful - if it was a comedy, it wasn't funny - if it was a drama, it wasn't dramatic. It was impossible for me to suspend disbelief and except the premise of the movie - that not only does a man, who is otherwise totally functional, one day for no apparent reason snap and decide to buy a sex doll of the internet and pretend that its a real person, invent a back story of her life (she's Brazilian by the way), and live with and eventually stand by as his inanimate object/love dies (which may possibly happen) BUT on top of that - his family, friends, coworkers and everyone else that he come in contact with decides to humor this guy and play along. No one in this movie ever grabs the protagonist and smacks him around and tells him to get his sh*t together. It is simply unbelievable that the brother and sister-in-law immediately treat him as though he's insane. Honestly, if someone told me they were bringing a date to dinner and then showed up with a sex doll, I would at least think its a joke and mess with them about it. But even if I am willing to accept the fact that his family is understanding and maybe cued into his potential insanity, the fact that his friends & coworkers seem to be willing to humor him about this until he works it out for himself is retarded. If someone showed up to church with a sex doll, no way they are going to be allowed in.To me Star Wars has a more plausible plot (the Universe is a big place - but not so big that the events of Lars and the Real Girl could take place anywhere at anytime ever). In my opinion, this film was not some clever and well written take on modern life and human frailty - it was crap - how did this earn a nomination for best screen play? Another review I read compared this to "Being There" - what an insult to that movie which was good and clever and thought provoking - this is boring and tedious and unfunny and long. This film was one of those movies that I wanted to stop watching half way through but felt compelled to watch to the end because something so well received couldn't possibly suck so hard - there must be some payoff at the end - THERE IS NO PAY OFF - SKIP THIS STEAMING PILE OF MONKEY EXCREMENT. The only reason I give this a two is because Ryan Gosling does a decent job with the character - but I don't care how well he acted - the premise of the movie is about as believable as Forrest Gump disarming a nuclear weapon - good acting cannot save this fatally flawed movie). Wait I take that back, if I ever see Ryan Gosling or anyone else who was in this movie (or looks like someone in this movie) I'm going to pour sugar in their gas tank. I am willing to give film makers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to experimenting with new ideas and concepts. I am willing to admit that some films that maybe "great" are over my head and just not for me. But I refuse to admit that with this film. Once again, this is crap masquerading as something special - its not worth the time you took to read this review. Finally, I don't understand how so many people loved this movie and are giving it 8, 9, or 10 for a review - it was really, really, really, really, really terrible.
Ryan Gosling proves his greatness
posted on 23 Jul 2009I couldn't help but think of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man when I was watching Gosling play Lars. This is a beautiful performance, and this movie deserves a great deal of attention, if not for the unique plot, then for Gosling's portrayal of the severely confused, but lovable Lars. The performance is perfect -- right down the way he blinks.If you're thinking about renting this movie, don't expect a comedy exactly. It's more of a drama about loneliness and fear of being hurt than anything, though it's undeniably charming throughout. Lars comes off as a very lovable character, though he's obviously delusional and scared sh!tless of getting close to people. Every moment of the film feels sincere, and I wouldn't doubt that some people might get emotional at times while watching. It's a very touching film, but again, don't expect a comedy.I truly do recommend this one for anyone that likes a sincere drama with great performances from the whole cast.
Strange, Original, Funny, Emotional.
posted on 19 Jul 2009I'm an 18 year old male who has a strange love for gosling movies. (Except Murder By Numbers and Notebook). So i was greatly looking forward to seeing Lars and the Real Girl despite my suspicions of Gilespy's directing.Well Two hours later, i'm not only in love with the film but I'm becoming... well... emotional. And maybe i'm the only one who feels this way, but God it was heart wrenching, yet heartwarming all in the same. I'm surprised and appalled this film did not receive more attention from Awards, it's well acted, well written (well that one got Oscar recognition), and you can't help but be emotionally invested.Lars and the Real Girl is one of the best movies of the year.
Corny
posted on 07 Jul 2009The film was corny. Ryan Goslin was good in this, but a lot like David Arquette. It had charm, but it was also idiotic and sappy in a very goofy way. I tried my hardest to get sucked into the drama, but I just couldn't. It was becoming pathetic. The director tried way to hard to convince everyone that she was real. Some of the montages were way over the top. Would a town really invite her to social events? Come on! Also, everything was way too smooth. They needed more resistance in the relationship. Something bad needed to happen to her, like the town jocks pick on him and kidnap her and throw her out of the car window or something and she goes to the hospital. I mean, it was funny for a while, but then I just felt embarrassed that an entire town would be so convinced that she's real. Sure, kindness is good, but this was ridiculous.
Definitely one of the best of the year
posted on 27 Jun 2009Perhaps because I saw this at home on DVD, I did not find it as hilarious as some other reviewers. Some gentle chuckles perhaps. But I was so moved by this movie. If friends had not recommended it, I would have been one of those who was put off by the plot synopsis. As Ryan Gosling says in the extras, it is about good people trying to do the right thing. In this case, an entire town full of them. Gosling is amazing in this film, but not one actor in it strikes a false note. I was moved to tears by the end of the movie, but they were happy tears. We care so much about Lars that, like everyone else in his small town, we are happy to see him moving on - and beginning to see the possibility of happiness with a "real girl." Definitely one of my recent favorites.
A beautiful film, when it is viewed with an open mind
posted on 27 Jun 2009This film is about a lonely man falling in love with a plastic doll. The whole town goes with the delusion of the doll being alive, and along the way touching everyone's hearts."Lars and the Real Girl" is a weird film, not in the experimental way, but in the unconventional way. On the surface, the plot is very heard to believe. It is almost ridiculous that the whole town would play along with such a delusion, even the doctors, friends and the clergymen.Underneath the unbelievable reaction of people, I think "Lars and the Real Girl" preaches tolerance and understanding to those who are unconventional, especially the mentally ill. It praises acceptance, and embraces the outcasts of the society. It also highlights the struggle of a lonely man who is desperate for companionship, but is unable to make the first step. "Lars and the Real Girl" is a beautiful film, when it is viewed with an open mind.
"Lars and the Real Girl; Part 2"
posted on 25 Jun 2009The producers of the first 'Lars', surprised that such a dreary yet far-fetched movie could make a few bucks, decided to follow it up with 'Part 2'. For those of you who haven't seen the movie, I'll describe it.'Part 2' begins near where the first part ended; the long shot across the lake where Lars' brother Paul, sees Lars and ""Bianca"" in the water. Paul runs to the scene to discover Lars' size 12 boot firmly planted on the back of the submerged dummy. A concentrated look will reveal no air bubbles.The next scene finds Paul, his wife Karin and fourteen other people.....townspeople who have been involved in the conspiracy to bring Lars back to health by supporting his delusions...... crammed into a small room of their tiny home. A quick shot shows Paul in the basement, trying to catch his left thumb with his right hand. "Bianca" is seen clothes-pinned to an interior laundry line, water, mud and other marine life dripping onto the floor. Back in the crowded room the decision as to how to proceed is resolved when the doctor/psychologist, Dagger, who has been making a fortune with her weekly "treatment" of the dummy, pronounces that the community can't just bury her, as some want to. 'Lars, is at a hyper-critical psychological phase and since he seems to have a primitive sense of right and wrong, he would instinctively "know" that something is wrong if he isn't brought to trial for the death of "Bianca". Why he could regress back into the non-verbal, but working dope he was before; the old Lars.' The crowd mumbles a hesitant assent.We are now in the judges chamber of a courthouse. The stiflingly crowded small room is filled with 350 people, all of whom have re-prioritized their lives for the sake of saving Lars. The back and forth dialogue doesn't mention how sick and tired they are of doing this but is instead depicted as an honest give and take between the few people who want him tried for first degree murder, those who want him put in the state hospital for the criminally insane and those who want a lesser conclusion. The judge, a Liberal, decides that Lars will be charged with Manslaughter 1. He winks at the camera as we dissolve to:The trial in a series of short vignettes. The medical examiner, played in a cameo by CSI's David Caruso, who exerts his considerable power and influence by testifying with his back to the audience, truthfully testifies when he says the dummy has no life in it.A dramatic highlight is the next and final witness, Paul, Lars' brother, who testifies to what he saw at the lake but then breaks down on the stand. He confesses to all that he's hated Lars since he was a small boy of 6, when Lars was born. He admits, almost crying incoherently, that he would wake up early in the morning and silently urinate on Lars' bed, next to the sleeping boy, who then had to grow up with the stigma of being a chronic bed wetter.The jury, in a benignly delivered verdict by the foreperson, find Lars guilty and the judge sentences him to 90 days in the county workhouse, with 54 months suspended.Lars is led out of the courtroom, smiling that lovably goofy smile of his and we see close-ups of many of the 900 people who have over-filled the small town courthouse's one courtroom. All the principals in the film get their close-ups of course and are smiling as a superabundant amount of tears flow copiously down their faces as the music swells to a finish and the screen goes dark........But there's a postscript. Speaking as a talking head we see an ancient crone who we finally realize as the doctor/psychologist Dagger, (bad makeup, unfortunately, in a film that otherwise has fine technical credits).Dagger"We thought that we had come up with the perfect ending for Lars. The plan was for him to serve 10 days and then get released for good behavior. But unfortunately he started to chafe against incarceration and commenced breaking jail rules. Well, one thing led to another and then real tragedy occurred. Since our paper work looked 'real' and 'legal', the county jail people, not involved in the cover-up, remanded him to state prison. His condition deteriorated and he became a problem prisoner; throwing feces at the guards, carrying a shiv, doing heroin and even wetting his bed.Lars is now 55 years old and is considered a three time loser. (Breaking into sobs) The poor dummy will never again breathe the free air of a free man!"
My new favorite film
posted on 23 Jun 2009I expected quirky based on what friends had told me, but they must have missed the beauty of the film altogether because they didn't mention that part of it and I didn't know I was going to be so moved. It was absolutely beautiful - understated and insightfully written and acted. Ryan Gosling is so wonderfully vulnerable - every hesitation and awkward gesture so real and painful - that the reaction of the town to his new girlfriend is completely realistic; who would not want to be protective of him? I didn't feel any guilt in laughing but I also wanted to cry, which is a reminder that there is humor, beauty and sadness mixed into so much of life. I will watch this film over and over again and be reminded of the kindness and compassion that are possible in everyday life, and of the opportunities we have to be good to one another.
What Would Dingbat Jesus Do?
posted on 15 Jun 2009Finally caught this today on Showtime. Someone with hair greasier than an oil slick is not a person who has the ability to dress himself, drive a car, or hold down a job. I was waiting for this whiny, self-absorbed twit to go postal so that the 106 minutes of my life I was wasting on this would not have been wasted in vain. But no such luck! Instead, I had to endure one stupid contrivance after another. It was as if the film makers went out of their way to see how g-d dumb they could get!I couldn't tell who was the bigger dingbat: the sister-in-law, the doctor, the old biddies in the sewing circle, or the Reverend, who counseled everyone to think "What would Jesus do" in a situation like this. I was waiting for someone to reply: "He would have smacked Lars upside the head with the doll, and yelled 'Loser!'" But no such luck!In the real world, no EMT would even think of putting a doll into an ambulance and rushing it to the hospital unless he wanted to get his ass fired! Now, I'd buy that a mortician would be happy to bury a doll - hey, it's your money! - but who ponied up for the funeral and the ambulance? Not Dingbat-in-Law. Not the Dingbat Sewing Circle. Certainly not Loser, sorry, Lars. Guess Reverend Dingbat and Dr. Dingbat took up a collection because that's what Dingbat Jesus would have done!As the Town Dingbats insist on treating Bianca like an actual human being, the logical conclusion would have been for Loser, sorry, Lars, to have been arrested for murder, because there is no way in hell that Bianca drowned in the pond without some help, convict him, then sentence him to life on the Funny Farm! But no such luck!
Nacy Oliver, the "writer" of this movie is a FRAUD?!!
posted on 15 Jun 2009This move was written by Robert Parigi, right? NOT Nancy Oliver!! It was then titled, Love Object. Robert Parigi wrote and directed Love Object. Then Nancy Oliver took his script, copy and pasted a few small differences, and renamed it "Lars and the Real Girl". Hey Nancy, I believe that is called Plagiarism. That's the practice of claiming or implying original authorship of others work, Right? Nancy Oliver, I think hear you steal? Watch the move LOVE OBJECT. Same movie, 4 years earlier? So take a look at LOVE OBJECT, by Robert Parigia "horror" film. Seem strikingly similar??
An excellent little film.
posted on 15 Jun 2009Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) becomes so lonely in his own little world that under a delusion he orders a high-priced sex doll that becomes his "girlfriend." While at first glance this sounds like a raunchy sex-farce, it is anything but. Lars treats his new latex girlfriend as he would a real girl, because to him she is real.His family and the town's folk wonder what to do about this new situation with Lars. Do they reject Lars and his new girlfriend, or do they accept the new situation and let it take its course? Happily, they take the "What would Jesus do" course and let the situation play out.Bianca, the latex Real-Doll, ends-up not only being considered real by Lars, but becomes personified by the people of the town! In a sense, Bianca is real, for she has taken on the qualities of Lars and has become a part of Lars.Lars and the Real Girl is a touching, original film that also has plenty of laughs. Furthermore, if you live in the North, you will get some extra satisfaction from this film. The cold, snowy winter is almost a character in itself.
If only mental health problems were really so well accepted
posted on 13 Jun 2009This is a quirky, odd, film that is not what you would likely expect from the common summaries...i was expecting a "dumb comedy" revolving around a "sex doll" , which I would likely have totally enjoyed, but this is a comedy-drama that takes a far fetched concept and delivers it in an almost believable way----if you can just get over any weakness that you may contend exists in this delivery( like many of the low raters seem to have) you will enjoy this a community of people that care, are compassionate and are supportive of a delusional man with issues of human or intimate interaction....I laughed heartily, enjoyed the many subtle humorous points, and loved that you have a film where "nice" is the standard attribute of the characters.
What is love? This film has all the right answers.
posted on 28 Aug 2009There are too many people today who do not understand what love truly is, and the meaning of it. This film gets the concept of true love right. Lars Lindstrom is a young man who is not able to get too close to anybody, he has problems with people touching him. And he lives in a small town. One day, a life-sized doll named Bianca comes into his life, and he soon forms a relationship with it - one that is quite intimate even. Lars' brother and his wife decide to play along with his delusion, but use the doll to arrange regular sessions with a doctor-cum-psychologist for him. Slowly, just as the townsfolk have supported Lars by accepting his "girlfriend", Lars in turn finds himself integrating more easily into relationships with humans. Just as Lars shows unconditional love for Bianca, since she cannot love him in return, he is himself at the receiving end of unconditional love from the community. And through the love that is demonstrated and observed, every character is impacted. This film has one of the best ensemble casts i have ever come across, with amazing performances from practically every player. They make the story funny and sad and touching, and in the end, one can't help but wish the characters they play are like everyone we know.