Dan in Real Life

Plan to be surprised...
I blame it solely on that horribly cheesy poster art portraying Steve Carell's head laying on a stack of flapjacks, but I wrote off `Dan in Real Life' well before actually seeing it despite the good reviews and word of mouth from friends. It was supposed to be really good, but in my head all I saw was cheesy ridiculousness pretending to be sincere. I'm really glad that I finally gave in and watched this film this past weekend.

What a treasure.

I know this may seem like an odd comparison, and I will say off the bat that the film I'm about to compare it to does have some heavier themes, but this reminded me a lot of last years independent surprise `Rachel Getting Married'. In fact, I actually think that overall, `Dan in Real Life' is the better of the two films, or at least the most complete and comfortable of the two (when have I ever shunned away from discomfort in a cinematic offering?). I had a few issues with `Rachel's construction, but here I was...

Dan's the man! A quiet little film on just how quirky love can be.
A tired formula gets a shot in the arm by affecting performances in this quaint little film that will touch you.

I have grown to really appreciate the acting talent of Steve Carell who really can carry a film. Carell darn near stole the show in Bruce Almighty to the point where the funniest segments were cut from the theatrical release because he upstaged Carrey so much, but those scenes where fortunately made available on the DVD release. Carell was again the saving grace of Evan Almighty and The 40-Year-Old Virgin in which both most likely would have died unnoticed had it not been for his sincere performances. This comedian definitely knows how to act. Carell reminds me of the legendary Dick Van Dyke when he had serious roles or moments and Bob Newhart's...

Yours Truly, Love Struck in Rhode Island
Anyone who actually believes that love is a many splendored may not get their money's worth from "Dan in Real Life." Here's a film that shows just how unexpected, irregular, and confusing love can be, both in terms of family and romantic interests. There's intelligence to this story that's equally humorous and heartbreaking, proving once and for all that love is difficult to receive and even more difficult maintain. At times, it's also difficult to acknowledge, especially if it's being kept a secret. The greatest difficulty of all is letting go of love, to recognize that the past is the past and to know when to move on. All this is explored in "Dan in Real Life," a smart, witty, and touching romantic comedy that doesn't lose itself to an overabundance of clichés. The formulaic elements are there, but they're presented in a new way, and they're used in a story that can actually support them. They're not used simply because we expect them to be.

The plot focuses on Dan...

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