Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

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

Director:

Craig Gillespie

Writer:

Nancy Oliver

Stars:

Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 35 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In this comedy, Lars Lindstrom is an awkwardly shy young man in a small northern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to his brother and sister-in-law's home. The only problem is that she's not real - she's a sex doll Lars ordered off the Internet. But sex is not what Lars has in mind, but rather a deep, meaningful relationship. His sister-in-law is worried for him, his brother thinks he's nuts, but eventually the entire town goes along with his delusion in support of this sweet natured boy that they've always loved.

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Plot Keywords:

introvert | sex doll | psychologist | in love with an inanimate object | mental illness | 

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Taglines:

The search for true love begins outside the box

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Lars and Bianca are about to enter the party was entirely improvised by Ryan Gosling (Lars), as well as the scene where he performs CPR on Margo's teddy bear.

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Goofs

In the bowling scene, when Margo hits the pins, they all fall down. When the shot is returned to her, two pins in the left hand corner are left standing. Then when the shot is return the third time, all the pins are gone again.

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Quotes

Reverend Bock: Lars asked us not to wear black today. He did so to remind us that this is no ordinary funeral. We are here to celebrate Bianca's extraordinary life. From her wheelchair, Bianca reached out and touched us all, in ways we could never have imagined. She was a teacher. She was a lesson in courage. And Bianca loved us all. Especially Lars. Especially him.

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Crazy Credits

Assistant Bianca Wrangler

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Connections

Referenced in Psych: Shawn and the Real Girl (2012)

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Soundtracks

L O V E
Written by Bert Kaempfert and Milton Gabler (as Milt Gabler)
Performed by Ryan Gosling

User Reviews

Wonderful

My wife and I went to see this on by birthday, and I was expecting it to be sorta quirky and off beat. I was surprised to find that this was a touching and humorous relationship-driven drama.

As already accounted here, Ryan Gosling gave a performance that many MANY of the popular actors could only DREAM of. He was brilliant, and his portrayal of Lars covered so many emotional dynamics.

However, I am going to write about Paul Schneider, who played Lars' brother, Gus. He was so subtle and funny, so spot on! His side-arc concerning being the older brother in a troubled family. . . just genius.

I would recommend this movie to everyone.

Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

2 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Lars and the Real Girl

Filming Locations:

Alton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$90,418, 14 October 2007

Gross USA:

$5,972,884

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,293,663

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Lars Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1