Rating of
3.5/4
Carrell is a revelation
newmans_own - wrote on 10/27/07
The plot is a bit ho-hum, and some of the comedic moments are far too familiar. Dan’s repeated run-ins with the same police officer fall flat, and the script subscribes to the belief that there’s nothing funnier than a middle-aged man trying to exercise or dance. Director and co-writer Peter Hedges (2003’s PIECES OF APRIL) constructs these scenes well, despite their clichéd nature. Laughter is obtained, yet it remains muted throughout. The film becomes stronger when it sets aside comic conventions and aims for honesty. These moments are incredibly effective and balance the tired shticks it wrings out to get laughs.
The main reason for the effectiveness of the dramatic scenes is the honest, likable cast that remains fully committed to the material. Carrell’s finest moments come from his subtler actions; many times, Dan seems so tightly wound that he’s an inch away from a complete breakdown. And while Dan is given the awkward romantic bent in many scenes, the more meaningful scenes become the film’s most affecting, heart wrenching moments. When Dan begins to express his true feelings through song (as one must do in a family dramedy) the self-consciousness and quietness Carrell brings to the scene lifts the entire sequence onto a level of unspeakable honesty. As Marie, Binoche contributes another compelling performance, excelling in both comedic and dramatic sequences. Binoche and Carrell certainly do make an unlikely pair, but by the film’s end, everyone in the audience will be convinced they were born for each other.
***1/2
Full review at http://newmanscorner.blogspot.com
