Dan in Real Life
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Movie Reviews of Dan in Real Life
Movie Review: A genuinely sweet movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Apparently the Cannes Film Festival is full of violent and nasty movies full of people doing horrible things to each other. And I have to admit, I love those movies. I saw The Evil Dead when I was a kid. Last Exit to Brooklyn (An Evergreen book) is one of my favorite books and I've seen The Wire: The Complete Series all the way through twice and plan on watching it many more times. However, I am a sucker for a movie that's exactly the opposite.
At face value, this is a rom-com with a slightly different demographic as the main character is a widower in his forties. It has all the elements of a rom-com. The characters meet and they hit it off. There is a hinderance in the form of another man. About 10 minutes before the ending, the characters are separated but eventually one goes and runs to the other one and they get together. In that way, there's not much of a surprise.
But what distinguishes this movie from the average rom-com is the sweetness that runs throughout the movie. The main character is part of a family that genuinely cares for each other. The titular Dan and the new love actually try to do the right thing. Even Dane Cook comes off as a genuinely sweet character and he's the role that would usually be the heel. Most romantic comedies that have another man who works as an impediment take the copout and make that other man into a total jackass. Definitely, Maybe (Widescreen) worked on that principle but the movie was supposed to be a mystery where you don't know who ends up with Ryan Reynolds. Dan in Real Life is much better for not falling into that copout because it has no extra reason not to.
This isn't one of the best movies ever. But it is a genuinely sweet movie full of genuinely nice people who like each other and care about each other. And sometimes that's so much better than cool cynicism and nastiness. In fact, it will make you wonder why you've been watching so much horribleness recently.
Movie Review: Love Is Rarely Ever Simple
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow~I don't know what I can add here that hasn't already been put in words so wonderfully by so many other reviewers that loved this movie as much as I did. I became a fan of Steve Carrell after seeing him a few scant years ago in the hilarious "40 Year Old Virgin", and it's interesting to watch his progress as an actor/comedian with each film role he's been in since "Virgin" made him a breakout star. In "Dan In Real Life", he plays a widowed father/advice columnist of three young daughters who are often wiser in the ways of life than he himself is; this becomes all too clear when he accidentally falls for Marie, a lovely woman that turns out to be his brother's latest squeeze. Watching Dan and she try to deal with their attraction to one another whilst in the midst of a family vacation is bittersweet, funny: I could definitely feel the emotional tension between the two of them as they struggled to hide that fact from the rest of Dan's family. "Dan In Real Life" is one of the better movies that I have seen in a good while that doesn't have to rely on special effects, and I genuinely came to care about Dan, his family, and wanting him to find true happiness for himself since the untimely death of his beloved wife. He's the type of guy who puts the needs of his children first, and while that is a wonderful thing, I just wanted to see the obvious sadness, lonliness in his eyes go away. The cast in this movie is truly outstanding in portraying a warm, loving, very human family. Thankfully, there are some particularly hilarious scenes/dialogue that made me laugh out loud and helped to lighten what could have otherwise been a somber, depressing flick. I agree with one other reviewer here who stated that you can really see Carrell widen his range of emotions in "Dan" and show that he can be both moving/hysterical at the same time. I knew once it was over that I just had to go out and add it to my DVD collection, as I felt very happy, satisfied, and uplifted by this sweet, smart, incredibly funny and ultimately heartwarming movie. Steve Carrell was amazing as "Dan", and I do believe this is one of his finest acting performances yet. I have the distinct feeling that he is going to be garnering nothing but more diverse roles from here on out, and I for one couldn't be happier for him.Movie Review: Realistic
Summary: 5 Stars
I can see why this movie is called "Dan in Real Life." It is realistic on what happens when you fall in love in real life. Love can be beautiful, love can be a many splendoured thing, but love can also be quite messy as it is shown in "Dan." What I liked about this movie was how it showed the emptiness and loneliness of a love-struck character. You want to be around this woman who you are in love with 24/7, but you know you can't because you either don't want to scare her away or in Dan's case--you don't want to step over the boundary line of a brother who you are close to. (Dan is in love with his brother's girlfriend.) This insightful movie showed Dan's awkwardness not only around his brother's girlfriend but also around his family. Even though Dan may be middle-aged, he's acting just like his love-struck, teenage daughter. He tries to act all adult and mature in his newspaper columns about relationships, but in real life he's just as clueless as anyone else. This is one of the few Hollywood movies to really show man's vulnerability when he is in love. Steve Carell was not all macho or cool as other actors, such as Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis or Richard Gere. To me Steve Carell is a throwback to the same type of characters that Woody Allen portrayed in "Play It Again, Sam" and "Annie Hall." (It's interesting that Steve Carell was in Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda.") Both Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche turn in excellent performances. I disagree with Amazon's critic that they lacked chemistry in the movie. Just as Steve Carell was vulnerable, Juliette Binoche was endearing--and easily someone who you can fall in love with. This is one of the best comedies of the year.Movie Review: 4.5 stars
Summary: 5 Stars
Dan Burns (Steve Carell) is a widower with three daughters, and during a family holiday, he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) in a book store and is immediately smitten--the first time he's been interested in a woman since his wife died. Unfortunately, she turns out to be his brother Mitch's (Dane Cook) new girlfriend.
That's really the whole story--the romance between Dan and Marie, how they make it work out, and the family dynamics.
The Good:
There aren't any pat answers, though it's obvious to the viewer that Marie is better suited to Dan than to Mitch, but it's not as cut-and-dried as that. Marie and Mitch aren't horribly wrong for each other.
Likewise, when Dan realizes he's been neglecting his daughters in his preoccupation with Marie, the answer is neither that he should seek his fulfillment in fatherhood and forget about Marie, nor that he should devote himself to love and assume his daughters will come around eventually.
Like real life, it's messy, and the answers lie somewhere in the middle.
Also as in real life, the characters aren't perfect, though Dan's parents (Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney) come close.
The Bad:
The family as a whole is just a little too Norman Rockwell-ish to be believed. Among the family activities is a family talent show, for goodness sake.
The Verdict:
Some of the trappings may be exaggerated, but the emotions are honest and real. I especially appreciated the lack of oversimplified easy answers.
Movie Review: OH YEAH!
Summary: 5 Stars
All I can say is.. RUTHIE...! PIGFACE...! DRAPER...!
Just kidding. I loved this movie. Some people didn't like the fact that it is comprised of 2 or 3 genres [comedy, drama, and romance (if you count that as a genre)] but to me, all those different genres is what made it complete. That's exactly what life is like! It's not just comedy all the time, nor is it always so dramatic and sad. This is a movie that you feel you can relate to. Also, I disagree with a reviewer that labeled the movie with 2 stars. He said that the family seemed fake. I really have to disagree. Anyone who has a pretty medium to large sized family would too.
Dan's (Steve Carrell) daughter in the movie is the exact replica of my younger sister. I love the lines she is given. They make the whole audience crack up. Just listening to her crazy, passionate, teenage emotions reminds us of our kids or phases in our lives that we have gone through. It brings a smile to the face.
Anyway, I know I'm not a good reviewer, but I'm just trying to make up for the people who rated Dan in Real Life with 1 or 2 stars. Sure there were awkward, frustrating moments and those do make me cringe, but somehow this movie turned out just right.
All in all, the movie's great. When I watched it, I could tell the audience was enjoying every minute. Go see it. Just rent the thing and watch it and decide for yourself if you love it, like it, or hate it.