A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Lars and the Real Girl

Date Viewed: 12/2/07

Details:

Ryan Gosling

Emily Mortimer

Paul Schneider

Kelli Garner

Patricia Clarkson

Director: Craig Gillespie

Score: +

The Review: One of the most unusual / bizarre / wacky concepts in a very long time -- and not only does it work, it works well.

What if you were to give a war and nobody came? In that vein, what if you were to define a radically new relationship and no one noticed? What if you did something so outrageous -- but your community not only kept their heads, but incorporated her into their everyday routine? Meet Bianca.

Ryan Gosling is Lars, an introverted Midwesterner (likely Canada, but it's not clear) who adamantly resists being dragged into even the dimmest of social limelights by his brother (Schneider) and sister-in-law (Mortimer), with whom he's living, in their garage. He's attracted to a new girl at work, but decides instead to go after a mail-order bride. Well, not a bride, exactly, but certainly mail-order: an anatomically correct sex doll named Bianca. Soon, his family is invited in to meet her; not long after, she joins him in excursions into town, and eventually becomes the toast of the town -- sort of. The situations are simultaneously hilarious and affecting. Not unsurprisingly, there is a psychiatrist involved in here somewhere.

Independent film at its most intriguing.

(2-Dec-07)

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