Lars and the Real Girl

Starring Ryan Gosling and Patricia Clarkson, Lars (Gosling) has trouble connecting with people, he lives alone and avoids his brother and sister-in-law as much as he can. He finds the girl of his dreams in a life-sized doll named Bianca that he ordered off the internet. This movie definitely reminded me of The Beaver, that I reviewed previously. Both involved men struggling with mental illness and use an inanimate object to deal with their lack of connecting with the world.

Lars and the Real Girl is a sweet and oftentimes funny movie. Ryan Gosling is perfect as Lars, he is subtle and likable and makes this movie honest instead of a farce. The supporting cast is all what they need to be as well, the quirky and patient coworker, the struggling brother, the kind and compassionate sister-in-law. But what really makes this movie way more than about a man who falls in love with a sex doll, is the community. Lars' family fears that everyone is going to make fun of Lars (and them too), but instead (after initial hesitation) they embrace the positive change that Bianca is making in Lars' life. I found myself often wondering how I would act if faced with a similar situation, which can speak to how relatable this seemingly outrageous storyline is.

I enjoyed this film, I liked how patient it was in developing the relationship between Lars and Bianca, and between Lars and pretty much everyone else. I liked the message, I liked the subject matter. I do wish that we would have been privy to more of Lars' thought process when he decided to order the doll. Many things are not said in the movie, you have to infer often, and gather the moral for yourself, which is part of the subtly that I liked, but there were some parts where I would have liked more.