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

4 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 Priest Miller	...	Will (as Henry Miller)
Ella Miller	...	Rachel
CJ Adams	...	Elliot (as Cameron 'CJ' Adams)

Storyline

Single father Dan Burns 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.

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Plot Keywords:

teenage girl | game | young girl | gymnasium | new york city | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dianne Wiest, who plays Dan's mother, is only 14 years older than Steve Carell.

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Goofs

When Dan is talking to Cindy and Jim (the father and daughter that are going to syndicate his column), Mitch's chair next to Dan moves close so that Mitch's leg is touching Dan's and further away, then close, then far again to Dan's chair.

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Quotes

Mitch Burns: [Dan and his family are eating dinner with Mitch's girlfriend] I swear, the minute I saw her I felt like I was in the room with an angel.
Dan Burns: This corn is like an angel.

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Connections

References Pieces of April (2003)

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Soundtracks

Modern Nature
(2007)
Written by Sondre Lerche
Performed by Sondre Lerche and Lillian Samdal
Courtesy of Astralwerks
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Carrying the Torch

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Peter Hedges' best work is "Pieces of April", a very edgy family drama/comedy that I have recommended to many. Although "Dan in Real Life" doesn't possess anywhere near the edginess of that film, it is an entertaining film with some clever moments ... though it is much more mainstream (by design).

Steve Carell stars as Dan, a widower father of three daughters. Just in case you have forgotten, the movie does remind you just how wicked teenage girls can be ... even the good ones. The film centers around the annual family reunion at the parents' (Dianne Weist, John Mahoney) beautiful summer house in Rhode Island. Although the film borrows material from many large family comdrams, there are a handful of moments and lines that prevent it from being a total remix. Odd casting does help.

Dane Cook and Emily Blunt have supporting roles that are both very well done. Personally I find it difficult to ever really like Dane Cook, but he controls his freak pretty well here. Ms. Blunt is a budding star (see "The Devil Wears Prada") and sooner or later, Hollywood will find the right roles to showcase her talents. By far the most outside the box casting occurs with Juliette Binoche in the pivotal role of Marie. Not to give too much away, but she does give new meaning to brotherly love.

Carell is fine and at least isn't falling into the one-trick pony career of Ben Stiller. He does have some range as an actor and hopefully will mix in a few dramas with the slapstick. Wouldn't call this anything close to a classic, but it is a movie families (not the youngsters) can watch together and be entertained ... nothing wrong with that.

Details

Official Sites:

Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dan in Real Life

Filming Locations:

Westerly, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,809,445, 28 October 2007

Gross USA:

$47,642,963

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,474,305

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