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Now On DVD: Craig Gillespie, Lars and the Real Girl
04/17/2008 Perhaps it’s no coincidence, but the week of April 15 saw three independent films (Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Juno, and Lars and Real Girl) come to DVD with one thing in common: they’re each written by female screenwriters. Two of those women went on to receive Academy Award nominations. Lars in the Real Girl, written by Academy Award nominee Nancy Oliver, is undoubtedly the most eccentric of the three, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You read or hear about the synopsis for the light-hearted independent comedy, and you think to yourself, there’s no way this could work. A shy, awkward Lars (Ryan Gosling) is constantly being pressed by people in his town to seek out a girlfriend, or at least someone to socialize with who might be interested in him. He finally does find someone, only it’s a plastic doll named Bianca. While skeptical at first, the townspeople all decide to go along with the situation so Lars can finally feel like an integral part of the community. With a miscast group of actors, this would have fallen apart fairly early on. But the performers seem so genuinely involved in what’s going on, it lessens your skepticism about where the film is going, and you can watch it for what it is. Gosling, no surprise here, shows that his nomination a year earlier for Half Nelson was indeed no accident, as he continues to prove that he is quickly becoming one of the best actors of his generation working in the business. Perhaps even more vital is the supporting cast, which sees strong performances in particular from the extremely underrated Emily Mortimer and the always convincing Patricia Clarkson. Of course, Oliver doesn't hurt her case either. With a resume that includes writing seven episodes of the HBO drama Six Feet Under, it's no wonder she has such a steady handle on presenting otherwise odd events in relatively conventional ways with such an effortless approach. The DVD for the movie itself is fairly mediocre. Aside from being able to watch the film trailer and other trailers, there are three main extras. The first is a 40-second deleted scene [‘Bathtub’], which is pretty self-explanatory. The next is an approximately 10-min featurette titled "The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl." It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how the actors/studio first reacted upon reading Oliver’s script, how great the cast was, and how Gosling took it upon himself to try and live like Lars for a while so he could get into character. It’s not incredibly in-depth or thorough, but at least it’s something. The last bonus element is another featurette called "A Real Leading Lady," where, appropriately enough, the cast and crew talk about Bianca the doll as actress, and what she likes off the set. Like the movie, it’s a humorous idea that’s executed well, though it starts to wear down after a bit. Comments [post a comment]
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