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

The duet that Frank Wood and his wife perform in the family talent show is "La ci darem la mano" from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Don Giovanni". The duet is a seduction scene in which Don Giovanni convinces Zerlina to leave her fiancé.

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Goofs

Dan's guitar playing is not even attempted to be correct. His fingers just ramble over the fret board and no chords are close to being played.

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Quotes

Marie: I'm looking for a book... something that can help me deal with what might be an awkward situation. Something funny might be nice, but not necessarily big, 'ha, ha, ha,' 'laugh, laugh, laugh' funny, and certainly not make-fun-of-other-people funny but rather something human-funny. And, uh, if it could uh, sneak up on you, surprise you, and at the same time make you think that what you thought wasn't only right, in a wrong kind of way, but when you're wrong, there's a certain rightness in your ...
[...]

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Connections

References Pieces of April (2003)

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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 Delightful Treat for Adults

The most satisfying element about "Dan in Real Life" is that the relationship between Dan (Steve Carell) and Marie (Juliette Binoche) makes sense and is beautifully realistic. The casting of Oscar-winner Juliette Binoche as Dan's love interest was a superb decision; she is exceptionally talented, intelligent, naturally attractive and, thank goodness, appropriately aged for the part! Had this movie been made with Jessica Alba or Scarlett Johansson, it would have been a disaster.

Another wonderful aspect about "Dan in Real Life" is that it is a perfect film for adults who are interested in a mature comedy that leaves out the three pillars of the "frat pack" formula: dumb chicks, chauvinistic guys, and sleazy jokes. "Dan in Real Life" is witty and has fun, intelligent laughs throughout. Whereas other comedies incorporate or are almost entirely based on jokes that shock the audience into laughing, the jokes from "Dan in Real Life" are more natural and clever, and involve some thinking on the part of the audience.

My only problem with "Dan in Real Life" is that the rebellious, middle daughter is played too outrageously by actress Brittany Robertson. It's difficult to say if this was a personal choice on her part or a choice by the director. Either way, her character is unrealistic and annoying. But, this is only a minor flaw in the film, and does not take away from the story as a whole.

All in all, "Dan in Real Life" is a great film, a fantastic escape from the redundancy of offensive and dumbed-down comedies. The quality of the writing, directing, acting, and (especially) cinematography is excellent. It is simply a beautiful, light-hearted comedy.

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