Peter Hedges, Dan in Real Life

by Stephanie Allerdice
10/26/2007

Prepare to be surprised because Dan In Real Life is unexpected.

The movie had all the potential to be another mediocre try at a family comedy. But it surpassed its potential and became a truly inspired story about a widowed father of three children.

The beginning of the movie had me questioning whether it was going to turn out to be worth five dollars and two hours. It starts out slow and Steve Carell is awkward in his character's skin. But give it twenty minutes and the whole thing becomes worth it.

The moment Dan Burns (Carell), a family advice columnist, returns home to see his family is when the movie truly begins. They live in a small town with a Book and Tackle Shop and he has one of those giant families that are full of love and fun.

When he follows the advice of his mother and father to “get lost for a while,” he meets the woman of his dreams, Marie. The problem: she is already dating his brother, Mitch, who is played by the hilarious Dane Cook (by the way, this is his best movie to date.) And as you can predict, awkwardness and shenanigans ensue when Dan and Marie are forced to coexist under the same roof with Dan’s entire family.

Carell is inspired is his portrayal of Dan. His performance makes you feel, a rarity in films today. His signature facial expressions throughout the movie are wonderful, but Carell has more to offer than just comedy. He brings such life that you just want to reach out to him when he breaks down.

Juliette Binoche plays Carell’s love interest, Marie. Marie is a mysterious exotic butterfly with an accent that is never explained and a penchant for listening to strangers for hours on end. While the character may have called for it, Binoche seemed quiet and reserved in her role, like she didn’t give all she had but she invested enough for it to work.

Dane Cook was, of course, funny in his role as Dan’s brother, Mitch, but it wasn’t his normal funny. It was a sweet comedy that he brought to his role. And his chemistry with Carrell almost had me believing they were brothers. If that isn’t enough, Cook’s character is an aerobics instructor and yes, we do get to see a demonstration of his dancercise talents.

My only complaint about the movie is that two of the three daughters were over-dramatic through most of the movie. Yes, teenage girls have a lot of drama in their lives, but not to the degree that played out on the screen.

With that one exception the movie was entirely wonderful. Finally, we get a pleasant surprise at the box office. Worth a try for anybody looking for a good old-fashioned happy ending.