I shouldn’t be crying this hard, right? RIGHT?
There’s nothing quite like watching a movie for the first time where you go in convinced you know the kind of movie you’re about to see, and then being nothing but pleasantly surprised at every turn. In the absolute best way possible, Lars and the Real Girl (2007) is a movie that shocked and amazed me at every turn. I’ll admit, when I read the premise for this movie my first thought was one of extreme skepticism. It was along the lines of, “oh boy, I’ve seen this episode of My Strange Addiction (2010 – 2015) before.” But having now watched Lars and the Real Girl I can honestly say that I think I just found one of my new favourite movies. Y’all, I was expecting to be cringing at an awkwardly dark comedy about a man’s relationship with a sex doll. I did not expect to be CRYING AT THE FUNERAL FOR SAID SEX DOLL by movie’s end!
Lars and the Real Girl follows Lars Lindstrom, an isolated and extremely shy man who even though his friends and family try to connect with him, he finds himself unable to. All that changes though when Lars begins a romantic, nonsexual relationship with Bianca, an anatomically correct RealDoll.
What is so intriguing about the premise of Lars and the Real Girl is that debut screenwriter Nancy Oliver really could have taken it in so many different directions. This could have been a flat-out comedy that finds the fun and the silliness in the situation à la Christopher Guest or conversely, a dark thriller focusing on a loner’s unravelling. But instead Lars and the Real Girl is a winning combination of subtle comedy and drama which is made all the more impressive considering Oliver never goes for the obvious joke to make or the obvious piece of grief to exploit. Just like I surprisingly found myself tearing up, I also found myself laughing out loud during this movie! Oliver was rightfully nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and I’m saddened to learn she hasn’t written another screenplay since. Sidenote, I find myself loving a lot of movies across genres that turn out to be the screenwriter’s sole credit and I’m always like, “aww, that’s a bummer! I really dig your voice and would love another story from you!”
This movie is magnificent. What should be a creepy, unsettling movie was actually wildly life-affirming and ended up filling my heart with the loveliness of the power of community. It’s an incredibly sweet movie that is beautiful and simplistic. I couldn’t be more relieved to report that every time I thought something horrible was going to happen to Lars or people were going to treat him terribly, they were just incredibly sweet and nice to him. The townspeople’s reactions are very authentic in that it’s essentially, “ok this is initially strange and we don’t understand it fully, but it’s really no big deal and we love you and it makes you happy so we’re cool.” Really, this movie is basically ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ but in the most wholesome, well-intentioned way ever. It’s so heartwarming to see how the town goes out of their way to make Bianca feel real. I love movies where people band together and this is one that is phenomenal when it comes to showing how when you really need them, the people who love you most will always be there.
Lars and the Real Girl demonstrates the overwhelmingly positive power of community that every one deserves to have in real life. To further Lars’ delusion and make him feel more comfortable the townspeople give Bianca a makeover, get her a job as a “model” at the clothing store, and even have her “read” books at the hospital! Werk! It goes to show just how much all the people in town, characters we’ve met before who although Lars wasn’t the most comfortable around were still a part of his life, care about and love him. If Lars weren’t such a sweet albeit a touch anti-social character, the movie would have a much meaner tone and I’m so glad Oliver and director Craig Gillespie opted for this take on such a unique relationship. By the way, Gillespie has one of the most versatile filmographies I’ve ever seen having also directed Fright Night (2011) – which I really liked by the way – Cruella (2021), I, Tonya (2017), Mr. Woodcock (2007), Million Dollar Arm (2014) and Dumb Money (2023).
Gillespie’s direction is masterful. Showing Lars’ life before and after Bianca is handled so well because it brilliantly gives you a real sense of how the character shifts from reclusive to gradually more open. I was delightfully surprised to discover that Lars and the Real Girl is a movie that really made me think. It’s so interesting because initially you think YES, having this doll would take you out of reality and doesn’t help you build real relationships and yet the way this doll ends up enriching and positively affecting the lives of Lars and those around him is breathtaking. Ugh, the line that affected me the most and solidified this as a total comfort movie for me?
“We came over to sit. That’s what people do when tragedy strikes. They come over to sit.”
So thoughtful and so true! Yet another moment where I unexpectedly found myself tearing up.
Despite the emotional oddity and the creepy moustache, before the movie started I guaranteed that I would still be sexually and romantically attracted to Mr. Ryan Gosling. And guess what? My attraction only tripled by the end of the movie. I fucking love Ryan Gosling. Duh, for all the obvious reasons such as his charm and beauty, but my God even ignoring those his incredible talent as a versatile actor would still have me being his #1 fan. He can do literally any genre. Check his receipts. I love that he never takes himself or the work too seriously. He’s serious about the work but doesn’t take the work seriously, does that make sense? He’s so present in every scene and yes, I know this is the job of an actor, but commits to any character, no matter how dark, unusual or wacky. He could have made a handful of rom-coms every year throughout the 2000s and 2010s but he always picks the more interesting, demanding roles.
In any other genre this performance would have you thinking Lars is some kind of criminal or weirdo or murderer but he’s just a sweet, socially awkward man who’s more comfortable on his own and it’s so beautiful to watch his journey. I just wanted to give him the biggest hug. I get it, I’m biased, I’m a fan, but Gosling really is one of those actors who could and should have been nominated for an Oscar for many more of the roles he’s done. Definitely this but I’m also looking at you Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011) and The Nice Guys (2016). By the way, check out the review for that first movie, here. This easily shoots to the top five of my all-time favourite Gosling performances.
The way this beautiful little indie movie is affecting me is how I think I was supposed to feel about Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). By the way, check out the review for that movie, here. I’m completely blown away by the thoughtful screenplay, the tender direction and the powerful performances resulting in one of the most enriching and lovely movie-watching experiences I’ve had in a long time. If you haven’t seen this movie I cannot stress enough how much better your life will be for having checked it out.
Have you seen Lars and the Real Girl?
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