Dan in Real Life Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)October 28th, 2007
"Dan" Feels Real
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
In the film "Dan in Real Life", Dan (Steve
Carrell) seems to be an ambivalent spectator in
the game of life as tribulations are thrown at
him. Fortunately for Dan, he seems to have all
kinds of answers for the curve balls that are
thrown his way. He is a respected newspaper
advice columnist whose thoughtful commentary has
put him in contention for national syndication.
It has not been easy for him. He lost his wife
to sickness only a few years back. And, he has
been devoted to raising his three young
daughters. The eldest at 17 is infatuatedly in
love with a high school schoolmate. The middle
one at 15 yearns to be more responsible and would
like to prove it by being able to drive. The
youngest is maturing quickly beyond her 4th grade
years.
Every year, these four head up to the lake to
spend a couple of quality days with the rest of
the clan. This includes his 3 other brothers (and their families) and their mom and dad. We know
that when family gets together and there is very little elbow room, potentially explosive
situations may emerge. Here, without giving the important plot twist away, Dan meets Marie
(Juliette Binoche), a sweetly elegant woman at
the local book store. The initial meet-cute is thoughtful without feeling rushed and is done
very well, enabling the framework of the
remainder of the film to be supported. They sit
in an empty waiting area overlooking the bay, sip
tea under a rainy sky, and open themselves to
each other. I'm reminded of that coffee
commercial whose tagline was "celebrate the
moments of your life." We genuinely like these
two individual characters, although it's too soon
to determine whether we'll like them together as
a couple.
When Dan returns to tell his folks and family
about his encounter, they are all thrilled for
him. The only thing, however, is that ... well, I won't reveal the details here. But, he teeters
from happiness to misery, and every advice column
that he has ever written has now been
conveniently tossed aside. Isn't there an
unwritten rule that he's breaking? Is there a
certain rightness to his wrongness? Watch now as
he begins to implode with vulnerability.
Oddly, Dan and his family are unreasonably
restrained. With all that could happen that he
can't be a part of, and with all that is
happening that he probably would like to avoid,
there should be more anger wafting through. But
the family has the real-world bite of the Brady
Bunch. Sometimes, it's just like watching
cardboard cut-outs moving around.
Yet, there are all sorts of nicely done scenes
which are otherwise standard for this kind of
genre. They include the awkward family dinner,
the weird double date, the backyard football
game, and the family talent show. He forsakes
his personal sanctity to the point where one of
his daughters finally and funnily says, "not only
are you a murderer of love, but you are the worst
Dad in the world." That is precious. Each opportunity is nicely capitalized upon, allowing
the film to stay nimble and light without being
syrupy.
"Dan in Real Life" is an engaging, romantic, family-dramedy for the over 30-somethings. The characters feel authentic. The film smartly
avoids being quirky. And, it's as laid back as
the friendliest of your friendly uncles. There
are good things in store for Dan and for the
moviegoer.
Grade: B
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
