Dan in Real Life movie review

This week we take a look at the romantic comedy/drama Dan in Real Life (PG-13). Steve Carrell stars as Dan, a newspaper columnist (and widow) struggling to raise his three daughters. On a weekend getaway with his extended family Dan falls in love with a woman (Juliette Binoche) only to find out she's dating his brother (Dane Cook). Peter Hedges directs.

Ryan: A moviegoer cynic might call Dan in Real Life anything but real life. While I can be quite cynical at times, I won't be here with the film. Dan in Real Life is an enjoyable lighthearted film. It's not a great film and doesn't aspire to be. Sometimes that's all right. It's a film with pretty good performances, pretty good writing and pretty good direction. If that sounds like overkill with all the “pretty goods” that was the intention. The best thing one can say about this movie is that it's a pretty good film.

Andy: Dan in Real Life is a little deceptive. The presence of Steve Carrell in a non-mainstream, quirky movie brings back memories of Little Miss Sunshine. The soundtrack is written and performed by relatively obscure indie-rocker Sondre Lerche. And then there's that title, “Dan in Real Life.” It indicates a complexity of character and acknowledgment of the medium of storytelling that all adds up to a unique, interesting, and challenging movie. But about two thirds of the way through the movie it occurred to me; this is just a straight-forward romantic comedy. There are no tricks, no innovations, just a guy and a girl falling in love in an impossible situation. And that's okay. In spite of not being quite what I expected, it was still a pretty successful movie.

Ryan: Even though the ubiquitous Dane Cook provides his presence in the movie, Dan in Real Life has an real indie flair to it. That stems from not only with the filmmakers (as Hedges's other directed feature film was Pieces of April) but with Juliette Binoche co-starring in the movie. American audiences will know of Binoche from her work in The English Patient and Chocolat. Her performance, in what is basically a straight forward romantic comedy, provides a nice change of pace from the standard romantic comedy female lead. Binoche brings a natural and mature sex appeal that is lacking from most carbon copy female actresses out of Hollywood.

Andy: I have to confess to going into this one a little worried about Steve Carrell. His performance on TV's The Office is so precise and overwhelming, that I began to wonder if I could see him perform without seeing him as Michael Scott. Dan in Real Life shows that he is very capable of doing other things. The beauty of his character in this film is that he's an entirely normal guy. There isn't that much extraordinary about him at all. He has flaws and he has triumphs, he makes mistakes and sometimes learns from them and sometimes not. I've long contended that this is the toughest character for an actor to play, but Carrell does is successfully here, even with the memory of his ridiculous and enjoyable buffoon from The Office so fresh in our minds.

Ryan: Carrell is by- far the focal point of the movie; he appears in every scene in the film. Not many comedic actors could handle that. Carrell flexes his acting muscle and puts forth a solid performance. There's a scene where he is playing acoustic guitar while signing Pete Townsend's “Let My Love Open the Door” to Juliette Binoche's character. It is a scene that doesn't start off with a lot of weight but ultimately ends up being crucial to the development of their relationship. The scene demonstrates that Carrell is much more than a comedic actor.

Andy: While Dan in Real Life ends up being an enjoyable enough romantic comedy, it also falls into the trap that so many in that genre do--it is both contrived and predictable. Screenwriters Hedges and Pierce Gardner have created some nice characters and some moving moments, but the plot itself is tried and true. Most people are going to know approximately how this thing is going to end up after watching about 30 minutes of it. Fortunately the movie is entertaining enough that you don't really care if you know the ending along the way.

Dan in Real Life has its ups and downs, but it is entertaining, interesting, and funny, all in small doses. Ultimately, it is a pretty good movie that gets a pretty good grade: B.