Lars and the Real Girl

Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson

Dir. Craig Gillespie
Scr. Nancy Oliver

Lars and the Real Girl is an odd, endearing film. The subject matter could have easily led to a crass movie, filled with off-colour jokes and gutter appeal. Instead, the film is a touching story of loneliness, growth and, ultimately, love. Top-notch acting abounds in Lars and the Real Girl, with excellent performances from an impressive cast. It’ll make you giggle, that’s for damn sure, but this film may also see you unexpectedly shed a tear.

Lars and the Real Girl tells the story of Lars Lindstrom, a 30-year-old introvert living in his brother’s garage, who, despite working every day, is trying his best to avoid all human contact. Oblivious to the girl at work with a crush on him, blind to how much people care about him, Lars is an odd boy – human physical contact actually causes him physical pain, and he clearly has issues with intimacy of any kind. So, when Lars tells his brother and his wife that a girl he met on the internet is coming to stay and could she sleep in their guest room, they are both stunned and ecstatic. When the girl turns out to be Bianca – a real doll – they are just plain stunned. What comes next is testament to the fact there is still goodness in the world, though you have to be prepared to suspend much disbelief to actually buy that an entire town would play along with Lars’s delusion (even if they are Canadian).

This film succeeds because it doesn’t go where most would expect it to go – Lars doesn’t want to have sex with his real doll (although she is anatomically correct). He wants a companion who won’t leave him or die. He wants to be normal, or at least live the delusion of being normal. He doesn’t want to be alone. We’ve all been there. So, we have a story with heart. Sure, there’s a few laughs along the way – how could there not be! Maybe it’s a bit precious – cynics might have a hard time sitting through this film. But if you’re looking for something to warm the cockles of your heart, this is the one.

The acting in Lars and the Real Girl is, without exception, brilliant. Ryan Gosling is a revelation in the lead role. A perfect performance as one of the most insular characters you will ever see. The scenes between him and Doctor Dagmar (who, under the guise of “treating” Bianca, plays counsellor to Lars) are outstanding. Dagmar is played by the fantastic Patricia Clarkson and she is simply sublime. When she delivers the line “sometimes I get so lonely I forget what day it is and how to spell my name” I had to stop myself from bursting into tears. Lars’s brother, Gus, and his wife, Karin, are played by Paul Schneider (a near unknown to me) and Emily Mortimer (an extremely prolific and lovely Brit), and they are both wonderful. Mortimer especially gives a heartfelt and gutsy performance. A great turn also from Kelli Garner as Lars’s colleague Margo.

Lars and the Real Girl won’t be to everyone’s taste. A charming film, some will find a little too hard to swallow. But I heartily recommend Lars. The acting is great, the script is smart and witty, and the story restored my faith in human kindness and acceptance. For a while, anyway.

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Lars: [after giving some flowers to Bianca] See, they're even fake so they'll never die.