Directed by: Peter Hedges
Premise: A widower (Steve Carell) attends a family
reunion and falls for his brother’s new girlfriend (Juliette Binoche). At the
same time, he struggles in his relationship to his three daughters (Alison Pill,
Brittany Robertson, Marlene Lawston).
What Works: Dan in Real Life is an excellent
combination of comedic and dramatic components. Carell’s performance is
terrific and he gets to show off his considerable talents, making the audience
laugh and cry with his romantic and familial dilemmas. His interaction with his
daughters is one of the best components of the film, especially his relationship
to Cara, the adolescent middle-child played by Brittany Robertson. The two
battle wits and nerve as Dan attempts to control Cara and keep her frozen in
preteen innocence while Cara violates those controls as hormones kick in and she
tries reach her first love (Felipe Dieppa). This relationship is able to
alternate between drama and high comedy and ends up complementing the romantic
relationship between Dan and Marie (Binoche). The romance between the adult
characters is very good, and the tension between them is well scripted and
staged, with the actors bringing the characters to life in ways that allow for
laughs and for tears. There is also a less visible but equally notable
performance in the film by Dane Cook as Dan’s brother and Marie’s boyfriend.
Cook does not get as much screen time, but he is able to make the role into
something and the script allows him more range in the role than in this kind of
story usually allows. That is indicative of what is extraordinary about Dan
in Real Life; the film provides the audience with storylines and scenarios
seen in other romantic comedies such as Wedding
Crashers, but it allows the characters to break out of the molds usually
seen in these films and delivers something fresh and authentic, if not entirely
original.
What Doesn’t: The one error of the film is in its
Hollywood ending. Up until its final moments, Dan in Real Life does a
wonderful job with the tone of the story, rotating physical comedy, ironic
humor, and comedy of errors while maintaining a family drama that puts something
at stake the film. The film’s conclusion is tarnished by a wrap up that is too
tidy and incongruent with the rest the picture’s more complex portrayal of
Dan’s family life and his romantic dilemma.
Bottom Line: Dan in Real Life is an excellent film. It is one of Carell’s best projects and it gives him a chance to really display his range in talent from physical comedy to outright drama. The rest of the cast also comes off well and the film ends up as one of the best romantic comedies in recent memory.