This is especially noticeable as the film winds down, and as it becomes abundantly clear that his daughters are much wiser than previously given credit. Where Carell falls just a touch short is in his inability to translate that vulnerability into more believable expressions of love and regret where his children are concerned. Carell, as virtually all of America knows, is a funny man and grounds his character in his trademark vulnerable humor. While the notes that are played are remarkably simple, they remain remarkably true to the spirit of the film.Ĭarell is essentially playing a mix of his characters in "40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Little Miss Sunshine," minus, of course, the overt suicidal gesturing in the latter. Instead, Hedges trusts the inherent awkwardness of the simple storyline as a family gathering plays out through games of charades, family dinners, intimate discussions and more. While "Dan in Real Life" does, indeed, have about the happiest and most realistic ending one could expect from such a film, the script from Hedges and Pierce Gardner never stoops to manipulative emotions or unnecessarily dramatic situations to make its points. Many writers and directors would proceed to take the winning premise and either go over-the-top with the comedy and sexual awkwardness, paint someone as the bad guy or, most irritatingly of all, turn it all into a greeting card with the all too predictable happy ending. There are no bad guys here.simply authentic, honest emotions and an incredibly awkward situation. Marie herself, the stranger of the bunch, quickly wins over the family with her intelligence, wit and sensitive nature. Likewise, Mitch is a good guy who sort of looks up to his older brother and professes to being in love for the first time. This simple storyline is played out with an almost unheard of gentleness as Hedges portrays the Burns family with a high degree of normalcy.ĭan, despite his obvious grief and even more obvious dysfunctions, is deeply loved by his family. Alas, Marie must eventually run off to meet her new boyfriend and, after innocently giving Dan her phone number, they part.Ī few minutes later, Dan arrives back at his parent's home where his younger brother Mitch (Dane Cook) introduces his new girlfriend.yep, it's Marie. It's the kind of conversation that feels timeless and never-ending and replays in your mind over and over again. The next day, Mama Burns commands Dan to go off for some alone time and, while at a local bookstore/bait shop he meets and immediately strikes up one of THOSE conversations with the charming Marie (Juliette Binoche).you know the conversations. In "Dan in Real Life," Carell plays Dan Burns, a popular advice columnist whose wife died four years earlier and whose days are filled now largely not following his own advice while raising three spirited young girls, Jane (Alison Pill), Cara (Brittany Robertson) and Lilly (Marlene Lawston).Īs is family tradition, Dan heads off with his girls to an annual Fall family reunion at his parent's Rhode Island home (Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney). I learned that Dane Cook still can't act. Secondly, I learned that Steve Carell, cinematic comedy's "Man of the Hour" isn't quite ready for the dramatic big leagues yet despite his winning supporting performance in "Little Miss Sunshine." I learned two things while watching "Dan in Real Life," the latest film from director and co-writer Peter Hedges (writer/director of "Pieces of April" and writer of such scripts as "About a Boy" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?").įirst, I learned that Oscar winner Juliette Binoche is an amazing actress who can turn even the most thinly drawn characters into inviting, appealing and sympathetic human beings.
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