Lars and the Real Girl
Extremely shy Lars finds it impossible to make friends or socialize. His brother and sister-in-law worry about him, so when he announces that he has a girlfriend he met on the Internet, they are overjoyed. But Lars' new lady is a life-size plastic woman. On the advice of a doctor, his family and the rest of the community go along with his delusion.
What critics thought
The film earned broadly positive reviews, with Ryan Gosling's performance drawing particular admiration, though the central question critics kept returning to was whether the screenplay's warmth tips into unearned sweetness. Most felt the film's commitment to sincerity was its saving grace; a few found that same sincerity a dodge, a way of keeping the story safely comfortable when something sharper was within reach.
“The film wisely never goes for even one moment that could be interpreted as smutty or mocking. There are so many ways [it] could have gone wrong that one of the film's fascinations is how adroitly it sidesteps them. Its weapon is absolute sincerity. It has a kind of purity to it.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“American self-nostalgia is a dependable racket, and if the filmmakers had pushed into the realm of nervous truth, had given Lars and the town folk sustained shadows, not just cute tics and teary moments, it might have worked. Instead the film is palatable audience bait of average accomplishment that superficially recalls the plain style of Alexander Payne, but without any of the lacerating edges or moral ambiguity.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“a film whose daring and delicate blend of apparent irreconcilables will sweep you off your feet if you're not careful. The creators of this film were fiercely determined not to go so much as a millimeter over the line into sentiment, tawdriness or mockery. It's the rare film that is the best possible version of itself, but Lars fits that bill.”
Kenneth Turan·Los Angeles Times
“what's fresh and charming is the way the characters surrounding the protagonist also grow as they help him through his crisis.”
Alissa Simon·Variety
Accolades
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Cast & Crew
Craig GillespieDirector
Ryan GoslingLars Lindstrom
Emily MortimerKarin
Paul SchneiderGus
R.D. ReidReverand Bock
Kelli GarnerMargo
Nancy BeattyMrs. Gruner
Doug LennoxMr. Hofstedter
Joe BostickMr. Shaw
Nicky GuadagniMrs. Petersen
Patricia ClarksonDagmar
Karen RobinsonCindy
David TornComposer
Nancy OliverWriter
Adam KimmelCinematographyLars and the Real Girl
Extremely shy Lars finds it impossible to make friends or socialize. His brother and sister-in-law worry about him, so when he announces that he has a girlfriend he met on the Internet, they are overjoyed. But Lars' new lady is a life-size plastic woman. On the advice of a doctor, his family and the rest of the community go along with his delusion.
What critics thought
The film earned broadly positive reviews, with Ryan Gosling's performance drawing particular admiration, though the central question critics kept returning to was whether the screenplay's warmth tips into unearned sweetness. Most felt the film's commitment to sincerity was its saving grace; a few found that same sincerity a dodge, a way of keeping the story safely comfortable when something sharper was within reach.
“The film wisely never goes for even one moment that could be interpreted as smutty or mocking. There are so many ways [it] could have gone wrong that one of the film's fascinations is how adroitly it sidesteps them. Its weapon is absolute sincerity. It has a kind of purity to it.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“American self-nostalgia is a dependable racket, and if the filmmakers had pushed into the realm of nervous truth, had given Lars and the town folk sustained shadows, not just cute tics and teary moments, it might have worked. Instead the film is palatable audience bait of average accomplishment that superficially recalls the plain style of Alexander Payne, but without any of the lacerating edges or moral ambiguity.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“a film whose daring and delicate blend of apparent irreconcilables will sweep you off your feet if you're not careful. The creators of this film were fiercely determined not to go so much as a millimeter over the line into sentiment, tawdriness or mockery. It's the rare film that is the best possible version of itself, but Lars fits that bill.”
Kenneth Turan·Los Angeles Times
“what's fresh and charming is the way the characters surrounding the protagonist also grow as they help him through his crisis.”
Alissa Simon·Variety
Accolades
Genres
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Cast & Crew
Craig GillespieDirectorRyan GoslingLars LindstromEmily MortimerKarinPaul SchneiderGusR.D. ReidReverand BockKelli GarnerMargoNancy BeattyMrs. GrunerDoug LennoxMr. HofstedterJoe BostickMr. ShawNicky GuadagniMrs. PetersenPatricia ClarksonDagmarKaren RobinsonCindyDavid TornComposerNancy OliverWriterAdam KimmelCinematography