Lars and the Real Girl is a fine film. It really is. The screenplay by Nancy Oliver is top notch. Ryan Gosling’s performance as Lars, a man who has fallen in love with a doll used for less than savory purposes, is fantastic, as is the exquisite and refined supporting cast. So I guess the only thing keeping this “fine” film from advancing to the level of “genius” is its style.
On one level there is something compelling about making any film directed in cinema verite style. In the beginning its visual minimalism denotes Lars loneliness. And as the film progresses this style fades away with the use bright colours and other things which denote Lars’ increased happiness, yet artificiality. And while I understand and like this all very much, there is something about this style that seems too on the nose for me. It’s as if the director, Craig Gillespie, is trying to trick us all into feeling one way or another. All directors do this, but there something indefinably underhanded about this move. Lars and the Real Girl is completely believable and utterly, devastatingly honest, yet the director insists on emotional manipulation, which is unnecessary and wholly superfluous. The performance and the screenplay are strong enough that cinema verite style throughout the whole film would seem, to me at least, a more organic approach to the subject matter.
To the film’s credit and to my unexpected delight, it is funny, without being stupid. It is funny more in the way that when something is so awkward you have to laugh than beat you over the head with a joke kind of funny. With the potential to be turned into some soulless, heartless dribble all credit goes to those involved who saved this story from being turned into a star vehicle for Ben Stiller or Will Ferrell.
In conclusion, Lars and the Real Girl is a fine admirable film, but I would never wish to see it again and I am no better off or worse off for having seen the film. The praise it garnered last year is certainly understandable, but I am sort of glad it didn’t win any Oscars.
2 comments:
I was in Blockbuster the other night and I heard these two girls behind me laughing over a movie saying "to think that this guy sat there posing for this cover thinking 'this is going to be my big break!' How stupid!"
The movie was "Lars and the Real Girl" and the actor was of course Ryan Gosling. These two girls were too stupid to realize he is an Oscar nominated actor who has already had his big break. They were too busy basking in their vast superiority in the Blockbuster in Boone, NC.
Pathetic.
That is pretty sad. Ryan Gosling does an excellent job in nearly everything he does. He will have his Oscar eventually I imagine.
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