Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Craig Gillespie

Writer (WGA):

Nancy Oliver (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 2007 (Singapore)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The search for true love begins outside the box

Plot:

A delusional young guy strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.

Plot Keywords:

Internet | Sister In Law | Brother | Sex Doll | Delusion

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Lars Lindstrom
Emily Mortimer	...	Karin
Paul Schneider	...	Gus
R.D. Reid	...	Reverend Bock
Kelli Garner	...	Margo
Nancy Beatty	...	Mrs. Gruner
Doug Lennox	...	Mr. Hofstedtler
Joe Bostick	...	Mr. Shaw
Liz Gordon	...	Mrs. Schindler
Nicky Guadagni	...	Mrs. Petersen
Patricia Clarkson	...	Dagmar
Karen Robinson	...	Cindy
Maxwell McCabe-Lokos	...	Kurt
Billy Parrott	...	Erik
Sally Cahill	...	Deb

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related content.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Canada:14A | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Italy:T | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:12A | South Korea:15 | Norway:A | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:PG | France:U | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Alton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Trivia:

The "Real Doll" was featured on "The Graham Norton Effect" (2004). The doll was given to the show and was stated as costing $6,000. She arrived in the same kind of crate that is shown in the movie. To test how real the doll looked they sat her in a bar with drink in hand, sunglasses and a speaker placed on her so they could talk to whomever came up to talk to the doll. One man was told to go into the bathroom, take off his pants and wait for her. He did.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the party, when the host puts on a vinyl record, she drops the needle on the first track on the side. But the song that comes out of the speakers is "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody), which is the last song on the Talking Heads album, "Speaking in Tongues." As the last track, it would appear closest to the center of the album, rather than at the outside edge where the needle is placed. In fact, it has never appeared as the lead-off track on any vinyl album.

Quotes:

Lars Lindstrom: How was the game?
Gus: The cheese inspectors beat the crap out of us.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: The Worst of 2007" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Holy, Holy, Holy

Lars and the Real Girl

I just saw this movie last night with friends and I'll admit I'd never heard of it. I knew it was worth watching when I was told Ryan Gosling was in it so I was mildly excited to see it. The first thirty minutes of the film are pretty damn funny and to some, almost hilarious. Very well done comedic acting that is real, believable, and still amazing to watch. Part of what makes the first thirty minutes so funny is because we know about the doll, and we can't wait for the first reactions. After that the story takes a wonderfully surprising turn to a really touching light drama. I was very surprised but I really loved it. A lot of people laughed throughout the film, and I was very much bothered by that. There is a reason this man is pretending that a "sex" doll is a real person, and its a very internal serious pain thats hes going through, which for me, understanding that part of the story, I felt it was mildly inappropriate for people to laugh, but I understood with time. Near the end of the film it gets a little predictable for one, some would say major, plot turn, but not so predictable as to ruin it. About 5 to 10 minutes before it happens you see it coming, but other than that it was superbly acted by Ryan Gosling who has nothing but an incredible career in front of him, and good supporting roles as well. This is a very enjoyable film, which I recommend to anyone and everyone. It really seems to have something for everyone, but be prepared it might make you laugh, cry, or both. Its a very very good movie, and definitely worth seeing in theaters.