Lars and the Real Girl

director: Craig Gillespie
year: 2007

An introverted office worker (Ryan Gosling) falls in love with an expensive, half-Danish, half-Brazilian sex doll. The girl who likes him (Kelli Garner), the brother with whom he lives (Paul Schneider), that brother's wife (Emily Mortimer), and various other townspeople think he's weird. Thankfully, his doctor (Patricia Clarkson) knows the true flavour of his brain juice.


God bless Ryan Gosling. He tries hard. And he's good. It's just that his character isn't. In Gillespie's hands, Lars is as much a prop as Bianca, his plastic beloved. One example: shy, quiet, unassuming, first-act Lars transforms into outgoing, in love with a doll, second-act Lars in about as much time as it takes to read "Six weeks later". No explanation, no continuity. Which might be fine if the film took this gimmick somewhere. Unfortunately, it does not. No insights are gained, no attention is given to mental illness, and no laughs drawn beyond the first revelation scene. Then, after it's boring, it gets worse. In the middle of the second act, Gillespie suddenly switches from detached "irony" to some formulaic heart-tugging. Everyone learns lessons, the girl is won, and the problem—whatever it happened to be—is solved. Not to mention that the picture just looks ugly and badly lit. The most interesting thing about the whole ordeal: composer David Torn composed the score. Then again, he didn't do a good job, either.

Lars and the Real Girl is a Fake.