Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
3/4
This one caught me unawares!
MovieAddict - wrote on 02/12/2012
Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is a nice young man everyone in his town likes, but Lars is dealing with a lot of problems. His mother died giving birth to him, leaving Lars with his depressed dad. As such he is shy, withdrawn and can't stand being touched. He works in an office cubbyhole and comes home to the garage in his cheap car and never socializes. He spends his evenings sitting in a chair in the small remodeled garage he lives in, just staring out the window at the snow.
His brother, Gus (Paul Schneider) and his pregnant sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer), who live in the family house next to the garage, are troubled by Lars' behavior and try to bring him into their lives but the idea of birth, given his mother's demise, terrify Lars. He is so uncomfortable around others that …
Rating of
3/4
Surprisingly Moving
Franz Patrick - wrote on 07/04/2008
Even though the concept sounds ridiculous, I ended up really liking this film. Everything about it is so good-hearted, starting with Ryan Gosling's character, Lars. When he introduced his plastic (literally) girlfriend to the town, everyone was a little freaked out at first but they eventually came around and supported Lars. As unbelievable as it is for everyone to accept the doll as one of them, it's a nice message that there are communities out there that are willing to help no matter what. The humour is darkly funny at times, which I enjoyed, but it never crossed the line (it could've easily been a raunchy film). Everyone's very good in this film but Gosling is the star. During his dramatic moments, I completely believed him and I wished that he wouldn't suffer so much. Emily Mortimer …
Rating of
2.5/4
They made her almost too real
Alex - wrote on 11/04/2007
I admit, I was tired as could be when my wife and I went to this last night. I was expecting a comedy, drama with great performances. I got what I was expecting.
So what was wrong? The movie moved to slow and the doll was treated like a person too much by too many people. I would have to see that some where in this movie, the actors themselves treated this doll like it was real. After the laughs wore off, I was left with a movie that was just above average. The man who had a mental disability, had a very severe case. He did a great job acting, don't get me wrong. But for the purpose of this movie they may have dramatized it a little too much.
This is not a bad movie, but merely a movie of what it is...nothing more. A doll, a mentally disabled man, and a surrounding cast …
