Dan in Real Life (2007)

A widower finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's girlfriend.

Director:

Peter Hedges

Writers:

Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges

Stars:

Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Carell	...	Dan
Juliette Binoche	...	Marie
Dane Cook	...	Mitch
Alison Pill	...	Jane
Britt Robertson	...	Cara (as Brittany Robertson)
Marlene Lawston	...	Lilly
Dianne Wiest	...	Nana
John Mahoney	...	Poppy
Norbert Leo Butz	...	Clay
Amy Ryan	...	Eileen
Jessica Hecht	...	Amy
Frank Wood	...	Howard
Henry Miller	...	Will
Ella Miller	...	Rachel
CJ Adams	...	Elliot (as Cameron 'CJ' Adams)

Storyline

Dan Burns is a single father who dedicates his life to his children, but one day he meets Marie at a bookstore. They get to know each other, but then Dan finds out that Marie is actually dating his brother, Mitch Burns.

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Plot Keywords:

love | bookstore | widower | rhode island | advice columnist | 

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Taglines:

Something's happening to Dan. It's confusing. It's awkward. It's family.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some innuendo

Details

Official Sites:

Europa Corp. [France] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Como la vida misma

Filming Locations:

Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£603,860 (UK) (11 January 2008)

Gross:

$47,636,541 (USA) (8 February 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Focus Features, Jon Shestack Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS (as dts) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Largely based on co-writer Pierce Gardner's personal experiences on years going to summer vacations at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with his wife's extended family.

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Goofs

Dan stops for gas in New Jersey while he and the girls are driving up to the family's house. He is shown pumping gas. While it is against the law in New Jersey to pump your own gas, it is sometimes done and usually overlooked as an infraction by station staff.

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Quotes

Dan Burns: I don't want to go out with the pig... face.

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Connections

References The Graduate (1967)

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Soundtracks

"The Tape"
(2007)
Written by Sondre Lerche
Performed by Sondre Lerche and The Faces Down
Courtesy of Astralwerks
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

A One-of-A-Kind Movie Experience

I was lucky enough to see this at a pre-screening last night (Oct. 20) and I was incredibly surprised by the wonderful plot and genuinely heart felt acting.

While the plot is not particularly complicated or exceptionally new, the story unfolds in a way that feels fresh, unique, and distinctly "indy" in style. It isn't something that can easily be compared to films of the past, it's a unique take on a sort of classic middle-aged depressed love story.

I was particularly struck by the casting of the film. Down to every last extra in the family, it was a beautiful and talented cast. The three daughters did a wonderful job, the talent was evenly dispersed between them and none of them "out-shone" the other two.

It was truly a delightful film, appropriate for all ages and laugh out loud funny while also being truly touching and heart warming. It was a wonderful break from the sex jokes and nudity of recent films.