Dan in Real Life
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.98 You Save: $10.01 (67%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $1.06 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of Dan in Real Life
Movie Review: Plan to be surprised...
Summary: 5 Stars
I blame it solely on that horribly cheesy poster art portraying Steve Carell's head laying on a stack of flapjacks, but I wrote off `Dan in Real Life' well before actually seeing it despite the good reviews and word of mouth from friends. It was supposed to be really good, but in my head all I saw was cheesy ridiculousness pretending to be sincere. I'm really glad that I finally gave in and watched this film this past weekend.
What a treasure.
I know this may seem like an odd comparison, and I will say off the bat that the film I'm about to compare it to does have some heavier themes, but this reminded me a lot of last years independent surprise `Rachel Getting Married'. In fact, I actually think that overall, `Dan in Real Life' is the better of the two films, or at least the most complete and comfortable of the two (when have I ever shunned away from discomfort in a cinematic offering?). I had a few issues with `Rachel's construction, but here I was completely soaking up every frame. It was funny, touching, charming, emotionally resonate and beautifully structured.
In quoting the film itself, and my review's title; "Plan to be surprised".
Steve plays Dan, an advice columnist who has lost his wife to an illness and is rearing his three young daughters with difficulty. His eldest daughter just wants to be given some freedoms, his middle daughter just wants to be allowed to express her newfound love and his youngest daughter just wants a little attention. Dan, depressed yet never to the dramatically overstated and clichéd effect that many actors would have played it, is just not capable of giving them what they need. When they make a trip to visit family, Dan meets the beautiful Marie and sparks fly, but she is involved and so they part only to uncover that they will be spending a lot of time together as Marie is dating Dan's younger brother Mitch. Trying to hide their growing affection for one another, Dan and Marie try and play cool, but it soon becomes more than either of them can handle.
The film is so much more than a glorified rom-com, as it seemed to have been marketed as. I really wish that this would have gotten the push it deserved, and that it had been campaigned as what it really is; a heartfelt and honest portrait of middle-aged growth and development. There is a sincerity about the way Dan comes to terms with his own person, trying to understand who he is as a man, as a father, as a widower. Carell is outstanding here (something I never imagined that I would say). Juliette Binoche is marvelous, as usual, giving her delicate performance a layer of spunk and wit that makes her delicious in every sense of the word. I even enjoyed Dane Cook's performance, and I find him repulsive. He was genuine and charming and natural.
I just love the piano-side sing-along (piggyface), for it was scenes like that that gave the film this lovely sense of naturalness.
Between the stellar cast and the wonderfully constructed scripting (nothing is ever too clichéd and even the romance is developed with smarts as apposed to the usual laziness) that contains some comical yet appropriate dialog ("MURDERER OF LOVE!"), `Dan in Real Life' is the real deal. I am just in such a state of pleasant and very welcomed shock right now.
Now, let's talk about fixing that ridiculous cover-art.
Movie Review: Amusing romantic comedy that captures the angst of Mr. Mom Dan as he meets Ms. Right
Summary: 5 Stars
A charming, at times low-key romantic comedy, "Dan in Real Life" allows Steve Carell to shine after the so-so comedy "Evan Almighty". Dan (Carell)is a newspaper advice columnist that discusses the difficulty of parenting and he should know first hand; he has three daughters two high school students and a six year old that he is raising by himself. He hasn't been able to click with anyone romantically since his wife died four years ago until he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche)that he meets in the Book and Tackle Store near his Dad (John Mahoney)and Mom's (Dianne Weist)family retreat. Dan's there to spent some time with his brothers, sister, nephews, nieces and in-laws. He's the only single guy there and manages to get Marie's phone number. The only problem is that SHE's his brother Mitch's (Dane Cook) new girlfriend. Awkwardness and comedy ensues as Marie and Dan discover that they are right for each other in all the ways that Mitch and Marie are wrong.
Carell gives a charming performance perfectly capturing how lost Dan is without his wife and how he struggles to maintain a relationship with his girls. Writer/director Peter Hedges accurately captures the often difficult relationship that parents can have with teenagers and the performances by Allison Pil, Britney Robertson and Marlene Lawston are on target without being artifically witty (in an adult sort of way like a lot of kids are in these comedies). They reminded me of MY kids.
The entire ensemble cast is terrific but Carell, Cook and Binoche truly shine due to their chemistry on screen. Mahoney and Weist are perfect as the parents of the Burns brood.
The film looks crisp, with accurate colors and terrific image quality (more so for the Blu-ray but the regular DVD looks good as well).
Extras include outtakes, deleted scenes with optional commentary by the director (some of the scenes are so perfect that it's a pity they couldn't have figured out someway to stuff them back in)a collection of Carell's "One More Time" outtakes where he goofs up, a featurette and a very good commentary track from the co-writer/director Hedges. "Dan in Reel Life" perfectly captures the angst of Dan and the scenes often ring so true that I felt they could have come from MY family (which is a tribute to co-writers Hedges and Pierce Gardner). Hedges who wrote the screenplays for "About A Boy", "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", "A Map of the World" and many other notable films has a unique voice as a writer and director. I'm not sure who did what but Gardner who wrote the 2000 horror thriller "Lost Souls" (who would have thought he'd have a comedy in him?)also deserves kudos for his contribution to the script as well.
"Dan in Real Life" is a terrific, amusing romantic comedy that even guys can like due to the on-target script, direction and perfoformances. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: A sweet romantic comedy for adults
Summary: 5 Stars
Dan in Real Life is an romantic comedy geared towards adults. Steve Carrell stars as Dan Burns, an advice columnist raising 3 girls alone since his wife died 4 years ago. It is family vacation time so Dan and his girls drive out to his parents house. They are joined by his two brothers and sister and all their kids in what amounts to a huge mess of a family gathering. In other words, it is a gathering that looks just like one in my family. Dan escapes to go buy the morning paper and on the way meets a woman, Anna Marie, played by Juliette Binoche. They have a great time and Dan falls for her. He knows this is uncharted waters for him, but he takes a chance. He tells his family about it briefly, only to see Marie (what she prefers to be called) at his house. It seems Marie is his brother's Mitch's (Dane Cook) new girlfriend.
The rest of the movie follows a few themes. Primarily, Dan is forced to watch Mitch and Marie have a great time knowing in his heart Marie is the one for him. Second, Dan has to struggle to be a good father to his daughters while finally stepping out and doing something for himself. Third, Marie and Dan slowly fall for each other and must find out a way for their relationship to be successful.
I've glanced at a few negative reviews of the movie and some complaints included Dane Cook, the pig-faced song, the middle daughter, and the mass confusion of all the characters. I think this movie is my first exposure to Dane Cook and I had no problem with him. He plays the cocky, womanizing younger brother perfectly. While he may be a jerk to the ladies at times, he certainly loves his brother, and you can tell. The pig-faced song was kind of uncomfortable, but it works in this situation because it highlights the absurdity of Dan's plight and plays off the actual appearance of the "pig-faced" girl. The middle daugter, only 15, just "knows" she is in love and is at times over the top. But her obsession with her own love plays off Dan and his inability to confront love in his own life. Finally, there were definitely tons of family members there, brothers, sisters, cousins, etc. The mass confusion fit perfectly for the movie. You could tell the family loved and accepted each other.
This movie is great for older couples, or for people that don't enjoy risque, raunchy humor. There aren't any nasty scenes or even bad language I can recall. If fact, I'm astonished this movie is PG-13. There is really nothing offensive in the movie. I'm a Carrell fan so might be overlooking the lack of chemistry between him and Binoche. When I watch a movie, I always hope for the best and refuse to be so picky that it harms my enjoyment of the film. Dan in Real Life was a sweet, fun movie and perfect for a date night without the kids.
Movie Review: A sweet romantic comedy that will lift spirits
Summary: 5 Stars
Dan In Real Life (directed by Peter Hedges) is a family reunion that you can attend in your own living room. And you won't have to deal with kissing aunts, loud children and bragging cousins.
Dan Burns (Steve Carell) is a middle-aged widower with three daughters (Alison Phil, Brittany Robertson and Marlene Lawston). Even though he is a relationship columnist and trained in helping others, he can't help himself find love. While attending a family reunion at his parent's house in Rhode Island, he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) at a book shop. The two click instantly but part ways, Dan promising to call her. When he arrives back at the house he discovers that Marie is his younger brother Mitch's (Dane Cook) girlfriend. Chaos ensues as Dan struggles to hold back his feelings for her.
The family is perfectly cast. Though overbearing at times, I can sense that they truly care about his well being. They do crosswords together. They exercise, hold a talent show, all while having fun. But they are not perfect. Their remarks about Dan and his lack of a love life are at times crass and unsupportive. The characters are also flawed. Dan's younger brother has a murky past that involves a parade of women. I'm glad that the writers make them loving but most importantly human, imperfect.
Carell and Binoche have tremendous chemistry with one another. They are struggling with a situation they've been shoved into. Their love jumps out of the screen and they compel people to root for them.
I also enjoy the humor. Carrell is a brilliant humorist. He rises to acting superiority when he takes on complicated movies (I.e. Little Miss Sunshine) as opposed to the family movies he has starred in. Cook also surprises.
Some parts of the movie like the shower scene are unrealistic. I cannot picture that happening in real life. I feel that the director threw it into the movie for laughs.
The major problem I had was with the daughters; mainly the two eldest. I understand that the middle child is a teenager and has plenty of hormones pumping through her body. I can excuse some of her behavior though not all of it. But the oldest daughter is self-righteous and harsh to Dan. She wants to travel the world. She wants to be perceived as mature. But the way she acts towards her own father proves that she is not capable of doing either. At the beginning she appears to be kind and friendly. However, she loses me when she tells Dan that he doesn't stand a chance with Marie.
Despite some of its character and writing flaws, Dan In Real Life is a sweet light-hearted romantic comedy that proves love at first sight is possible.
Movie Review: A nice blend of comedy and drama
Summary: 5 Stars
As he proved with Pieces of April, director Peter Hedges has a knack for depicting the intracies of family dynamics. He's not afraid to show awkward and uncomfortable moments because that's what happens when you get a family of any decent size together - all the old feuds come bubbling to the surface. With a large cast of characters and plenty of overlapping dialogue, Hedges seems to be influenced by Robert Altman with a dash of family dysfunction from Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters.
Hedges avoids the usual cliché of having the flawed brother be a jerk so that we are inclined to root for Dan. Comedian Dane Cook plays Mitch as a nice guy who is funny and seems to genuinely love Marie. Sadly, Juliette Binoche's character is rather two-dimensional and more scenes that explored her background would have been a nice addition. That being said, Dan in Real Life provides all kinds of emotional layers that people love to enjoy in this kind of a film. There are many real moments that illustrate just how messy and complicated life can be.
"Just Like Family: The Making of Dan in Real Life" takes a look at how this film came together. The cast gush about working with Hedges and praises his collaborative spirit. This featurette also takes a look at the house where most of the action takes place and Hedges says that he wanted it to be like another character.
"Handmade Music: Creating the Score" takes a look at the film's soundtrack. Hedges says that he finds most American films to be over-scored and wanted to go for a more minimal soundtrack.
Also included are 11 deleted scenes with optional commentary by Hedges. He puts these scenes in context and explains why they were cut. There is a lot more interaction between Dan and his daughters. Hedges is honest about why this footage was cut (he blames his weak direction for one).
There is the obligatory "Outtakes" reel with the cast blowing their lines when someone else makes them laugh. There is lots of goofing around on the set, mostly by Dane Cook and Carell.
Finally, there is an audio commentary by director Peter Hedges. Originally, he was hired to polish an existing screenplay but after working on it for five months, the studio liked it so much that they asked him to direct. Hedges talks about filming certain scenes and his intentions behind them. He also touches upon shaping the film through editing in this fairly engaging track.