More Movies

• Review: Hit man comedy 'In Bruges' mixes laughs, blood
• Coen brother, 'Old Men' top picks for Oscars
• Review: 'Be Kind Rewind' has funny bits, but not enough

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

Warm and witty, "Lars and the Real Girl" is 2007's best date movie.

In the annals of quirky love stories, the romance between a silicone sex doll named Bianca and the excruciatingly shy Lars is refreshingly original.

Hilarious without stooping to easy jokes, touching without leaning toward sappy, "Lars" represents synergy between first-rate writing and acting. It takes its players seriously while letting them have fun. And in his portrayal of the title character, Ryan Gosling gives further proof he's one of the A-list's most interesting actors.

The story's a strange one. Lars is a lonely introvert in some tiny, unnamed New England town. He goes about his day at work and living in the garage of his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) with as little human interaction as possible. His brother's wife, Karin (Emily Mortimer), begs him to come over for dinner, but he awkwardly avoids committing.

A cute co-worker is rebuffed in her frequent attempts to get Lars to ask her out — he just ignores her. Clues to the reason for his powerful social anxiety come slowly over the course of the film. There are no easy answers for why Lars is the way he is, but we get an idea.

One day a box arrives, and Lars goes knocking on his brother's front door. He's met a girl, he says, and wants her to meet his family. She's from Brazil and gets around in a wheelchair.

Gus and Karin are ecstatic. Then they meet Bianca. She's a sex doll Lars ordered over the Internet. (When and how is never revealed, but Lars' brain doesn't work like most folks'. Did he black out and order her?)

Lars talks to Bianca and claims she talks back. She's a darling girl, he says. They have a lot in common, and before long, Lars is full-blown in love. He and Bianca are the toast of their small town.

The reaction of the community could only come from podunkers. Under the advice of the town's shrink (Patricia Clarkson, flawless here as in all her roles), no one points out to Lars that his girlfriend is made out of plastic.

If this weren't such a good movie, it'd be easy to predict where it might go. Maybe Lars would find himself accosted by teasing peers because he's so plainly delusional. Maybe there'd be a sex scene — Bianca is, after all, equipped.

But nothing's easy in "Lars." Screenwriter Nancy Oliver gives the characters complicated pasts and layers of emotion. You'll laugh out loud at the things they say and do, but they feel like real-life neighbors.

Gosling is a revelation. He was nominated for an Oscar last year for his blazing portrayal of a crack-addicted school teacher in the angry little masterpiece "Half Nelson." He should have won.

His performance as Lars is nuanced and intricate. The mannerisms — sometimes as small as a few fast blinks — are essential. He conveys deep sadness through the way he hangs his head, and, just like the people around him, we grow to like Lars and appreciate he's not a nut case but someone who needs to work through complicated feelings.

Hilarious when it wants to be and sad in small moments, "Lars and the Real Girl" is impossible to hate. It's a film that will make you feel good.