Lars and the Real Girl is a heartfelt comedy starring Ryan Gosling as Lars Lindstrom, a loveable introvert whose emotional baggage has kept him from fully embracing life. After years of what is almost solitude, he invites Bianca, a friend he met on the internet to visit him. He introduces Bianca to his Brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and his wife Karen (Emily Mortimer) and they are stunned. They don't know what to say to Lars or Bianca because she is a life-size doll, not a real person and he is treating her as though she is alive. They consult the family doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who explains this is a delusion he's created – for what reason she doesn't yet know but they should all go along with it. What follows is an emotional journey for Lars and the people around him.
This movie was amazing. Ryan Gosling continued his ascent toward acting excellency. I was so torn between laughing my ass off and feeling genuine compassion for what his character was going through. On the one hand you have this guy walking around with a doll pretending its a real person. How can that not be laughed at!?! On the other hand, you feel so bad for this guy who was so scarred that he has to explain how's he hurting by projecting it on to the doll. The brother and sister in law were the picture perfect performances to display both ways of looking at what Lars was going through. The brother's facial reactions to what was going on and one liners were priceless while the sister-in-law getting everyone to go through with it to help Lars work through his issues was beautiful. They walked the line of laughter/crying exceptionally well and truly made an excellent movie.
I am giving this bad boy the stamp of must see, people! You should go and rent it right now. What are you still reading this for? GO!
