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"Only half of the funny film it could've been, though the 'good' half of the movie far outweighs the bad."

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Dan in Real Life

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A Review by Techtite

No; the title is not in reference to "real life," so I promise to not be a total spaz and say "Gee, this fictitious drama is not real life." The title character, FYI, is a columnist, and "Dan in Real Life" is his column. That piece of "reality check" out of the way: it is ironic that they chose such a title, since it's symbolic of the film's successes and failures, all rolled into one. When "Dan" tries to be realistic, the film fails. It's actually the surreal moments which are so enjoyable.

The story is pretty basic, not unlike...wait for it..."real life." Dan Burns (Steve Carrell) is a widower with three daughters. He goes to his father's house for a family gathering, when he goes to a book store. He meets a wonderful woman named Marie (Juliette Binoche) who is, we're told, the first woman who's been able to catch Dan's eye since his wife passed away. The good news: they're a perfect match. The bad news: no sooner does he go home to tell everyone the lovely lady he just met, when he's introduced to his brother's new lady love. Two guesses who she is.

That in itself is the perfect example of this movie's paradoxical "real life." Is it likely that a widower would go to a family vacation in his parent's home? Sure...though that part, real or not, is boring. Conversely: it isn't terribly likely that his family would actually take the grieving member of their family, and ask him to sleep on the cot in the laundry room, so the "couples" can sleep in the bedrooms upstairs. It's even less likely that the mother would then barge into the laundry room with a basket of laundry at the crack of dawn, as if her son wasn't even sleeping there. Yet how fun is it to watch such surreal moments, compared to the boring "real life" elsewhere?

There is a small warning I must give to my fellow men who are dragged away um, politely taken to this movie by their girlfriends: Yes, this is a chick flick. There's angst that leads to more angst and when there doesn't seem to be any more possibility of angst, well, it's a chick flick, so...bring on the additional angst! The best example of this is the obligatory scene when the truth is out in the open, and Dan is crazy for Marie and (if just because there wouldn't be much point otherwise) Marie is smitten with Dan. It doesn't take rocket science to know that Dan is caught with Marie. Yes, to add further chick flick "angst" to the moment, his brother punches him. Here's the thing: what were they caught doing together? Bowling. Yes...bowling. Yet this is a chick flick, so Dan must be punched, or there wouldn't be enough angst. Whatever, girls.

That having been said: I've been dragged to many chick flicks, and this one was far less painful than I've seen in years. That may not be a ringing endorsement, so let me say something more: this is the first romance movie I've seen in a long time, where the lead stars have any chemistry. You really want Dan and Marie to get together in the end, which is saying an awful lot, when a chick flick is being reviewed by a guy!

Superb casting helps, of course. Steve Carrell is excellent, as always. When he acts goofy while trying to get Marie's attention, it helps the "reality" of the moment, when what he's doing is really funny. No "fake laughs" from an actress who was told to laugh or be fired. Conversely: Marie is played by Juliette Binoche, which makes the whole romantic quest far more believable. Of course Dan would go to such lengths to make sure he gets Juliette Binoche; who wouldn't? Add a stellar cast as the "family" ---including Dane Cook, Dianne Wiest, and John Mahoney--- and you have not just a chick flick; this is a well cast chick flick.

Though is it worth seeing? Well, coming from a male critic, let's put it this way: if it isn't your "turn" to choose the movie next week and your lady wants to see Dan in Real Life, it will not be torture to see it. In fact it might even be a little fun...just don't tell any other guys I said that, okay?

---Techtite

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