Dan In Real Life
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane CookDirector: Peter Hedges
Year of Release: 2007
The movie was cute and had some good moments. But basically it’s just not very remarkable. And I don’t buy that Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche hanging out for just a couple hours is enough to set up the 2 movie hours of awkwardness that follow. Steve Carell is so uncomfortable you wonder how he EVER fit in with this overly bubbly crowd. And Juliette Binoche dating Dane Cook? I don’t think so.
The whole movie just felt a bit cliched and unoriginal. And the wedding at the end felt forced, like a resolution they tacked on there just to show that they stayed together. Why do characters in these kinds of movies always have to end up married? It’s so cliche to end a flick like this with a wedding scene, usually outdoors. I think contemporary life is just not that cookie-cutter.
I did like Carell’s relationship with his 3 daughters. This was a subplot kept completely separate from the love story and that is where the movie showed some spark. If the movie had just been about him and his 3 daughters dealing with life after losing their wife/mother, that could have been an interesting movie. Not the blah attempt at romantic comedy that felt less than genuine and just plain wrong.
There were some funny moments but overall I didn’t buy. It’s a nice little movie but nothing significant.
