Lars and the Real Girl

Resolutely weird

By LARS AND THE REAL GIRL | October 17, 2007

2.0 Stars

VIDEO: Watch the trailer for Lars and the Real Girl.

The latest from Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock) finds a withdrawn guy seeks love from a lifelike sex doll ordered over the Internet. Bryan Gosling continues his slide down from The Believer (2001) as the title misfit, who’s first seen clutching the baby blanket knit for him by his mother, who died giving birth to him. So much for motivation. Despite the concern of his sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) and the come-ons of a cutie at work, Lars remains resolutely weird and introverted. Until, that is, “Bianca” arrives in the mail and becomes his platonic dream girl. Fortunately, Lars lives in a small town that even Frank Capra would find over-altruistic. Everyone indulges Lars’s delusion, setting up increasingly strained comic situations, and everyone becomes a better person. To see how a similar premise can actually touch the heart, check out Peter Cattaneo’s lovely, neglected 2005 film Opal Dream.