Lars and the Real Girl
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring:
Ryan Gosling - Lars
Emily Mortimer - Karin
Paul Schneider - Gus
Kelli Garner - Margo
Patricia Clarkson - Dagmar
What is the difference between a sex-doll and a love-doll? Most sex toy aficionados will tell you that there is none. It's just a pretend woman that satisfies your sexual urges. But can one finds love in a latex mold designed for the purpose of sexual gratification? Can the perverse end up being sweet and beautiful? Lars and the Real Girl answers "yes" with the most heartwarming and earnest film this year.
Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a loner. He doesn't push people away as much as he tries to avoid them. There are deep-seated phobias in his heart and he's so pitiable in the first fifteen minutes of the film that it's a relief to see him finally open up and embrace the company of others, even if those others have to share the company of not only Lars, but his impetus for emotional growth, Bianca. Bianca is confined to a wheel chair and doesn't speak English. Oh, and she's a life-sized, anatomically correct latex figure. That's important to note.
There are so many places and times where this film could have faltered. It could have gone overboard in trying to psycho-analyze Lars or create some grand exposition and related catharsis to explain his bizarre psychosis. It could have mocked his affections or embraced the perverse nature of his relationship and used that as a base or easy laughs. Lars remains firmly entrenched in emotional truth and honest feelings without ever coming close to being maudlin, hokey, or saccharine. And it is this honesty that will touch the hearts of any viewer who has every felt the longing to love and to be loved. The only aspect that's far fetched is that a small town would be so accepting of such a strange relationship but even that pays off as we find that while Bianca may have been manufactured by the good folks of RealDoll.com, she's given life by the town that embraces her.
As for Gosling, he's received constant acclaim for his performances in Half Nelson, Fracture, and The Notebook, but he never convinced me of his greatness till this film. His performance as Lars is absolutely sublime and there's no doubt that he will be one of the greatest actors of his generation. Bolstered by strong supporting performances from Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, and Kelli Garner, Lars and the Real Girl is a masterful film, if only for turning a sex toy into a fully-realized character instead of an object that lonely men hide in their closets.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
10.24.07