I just saw a screening in LA and a packed house of SAG members LOVED this film! Ryan Gosling's performance hearkens back an equally moving and effective performance from Peter Sellers in Being There, which Gosling and director Craig Gilespie admitted was about their only reference point. Gosling's character is sweet, good natured, and painfully shy and is the heart and soul of this film. His performance as Lars (along with patient direction and a wonderful script) is the prime reason that it all works. I laughed HARD throughout, but by the end I shed real tears over the plot and characters - and I thought doing so over a talking pig was bad! This is a performance WAY out of the ordinary for Gosling, and most of today's young actors could not have pulled it off. Expect an Oscar nomination for Gosling and for the screenplay.
