Lars and the Real Girl

Ryan Gosling can basically make anything worth watching. He could spend his entire career playing the earnest romantic leading man in sappy romantic dramas or romantic comedies if he wanted it. He has the looks for it and he already won the hearts of girls everywhere with The Notebook. But, he was not content to do that. He wanted more. He wanted different. Well you can't get any more different than a movie like this, but how does it work for him?


Lars Lindstrom lives in the garage of a house occupied by his big brother Gus(Paul Schneider and Gus' pregnant wife, Karin(Emily Mortimer) and he is very much a loner. He does not like to be touched and squints his way through awkward and uncomfortable conversations. He enjoys going to church and that seems to be the only thing that he enjoys. Lars doesn't appear to do much sleeping and while everyone seems to like him, he cannot bring himself to open up to anyone. At work Margo(Kelli Garner) tries to talk to him and befriend him but he either runs away from her or virtually ignores her. Then one night Lars tells his brother and sister-in-law that he met a girl on the Internet. He tells them she does not speak much English and she is in a wheel chair, but because of her religious beliefs she needs to sleep in the house. The excitement Gus and Karin have is short lived as it turns out Lars' new girlfriend, Bianca, is a sex doll. Complete with hooker make up and trashy clothes, Bianca sits on the couch vacant with her mouth open as Lars talks to her and pretends to hear her talk to him. When they take Bianca to the doctor, the doctor, also a licenced shrink, examines Lars as well. She concludes he is going through a delusion and that they should play along. Soon, the entire town is playing along with this big weird and twisted story.


This movie should not work as a comedy and it should not work as a drama but it works as both. There are moments of sheer hilarity and moments of deep sadness and at times those moments are one in the same. Gosling is so committed, so good that at times you forget he is "falling in love" with a sex doll. We learn that his mother died while giving birth to him and it appears no coincidence that these delusions started when Karin got pregnant. Yes at times it gets over the top- Bianca "working" at a department store as a mannequin, Bianca getting elected to the school board- but those kinds of moments are forgiven in the moments where Lars is alone with Bianca and we just ache for him. We all want him to get over this delusion but worry what would happen if he did. Watching the entire town rally around this sweet natured young man is a breath of fresh air. I kept waiting for the moment when the movie would take a juvenile turn, but it never did. The main conflict of the movie remain inside Lars and Gosling is just spectacular at every turn. In the moments with the shrink where he has a nervous breakdown or slowly gives pieces of his inner turmoil are brilliantly acted and exceptionally directed moments.


As the movie goes on it is never 100% clear where the movie is taking us, but it stays interesting all the way through. I laughed so hard I teared up and I got so emotionally invested in it that I shed real tears as well. As Gus, Paul Schneider is a very solid presence. His character goes through quite the change as he learns to deal with his brother and deal with the fact that he thinks he is the cause of Lars problems because he left Lars with their heart broken father. Also, Emily Mortimer goes for gold in this movie. There is a scene where just loses it with Lars that is simply brilliant and as the first person to try and embrace Bianca she oozes sympathy and she also gets some of the better laughs. As the movie moves on we also see a shift in Lars in regards to Margo. He becomes more open to talk to her and look at her and with Margo, Kelli Garner is the perfect blend of dorky and adorable. She is infinitely approachable and embodies what Lars needs if he is going to move on in life.


This is a movie about loss and love; it is about growing up and becoming a man. It is about the importance of family and friends and it shows that if you give people the love and support they need that they can overcome anything. Even in its faults this movie remains incredibly charming and surprisingly dramatic. It runs about 10 minutes longer than it needs to and I do not fault those who could not buy into the premise, but I believe with Ryan Gosling leading the way, Bianca feels like a very real character and this feels like a very solid movie.