It's hard for a film like this not to come off as too sweet, but this grown up comedy manages in making it a real gem.
Comment
01/22/08
Dan in Real Life (2007)
65 %
Reviews Counted: 155 Fresh: 101 Rotten:54 Average Rating: 6.3/10
Consensus:
The fine performances elevate Dan in Real Life beyond its sentimental plot.
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Theatrical Release: 11-01-2008
Synopsis: Just as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE did in 2006, DAN IN REAL LIFE reveals that Steve Carell is an actor who can do more than just comedy. He's won both accolades and awards as bumbling boss Michael Scott on THE OFFICE, but there's a greater depth to this performance as a single father and man in love.... [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt
Director: Peter Hedges
Screenwriter: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Producer: Jon Shestack, Brad Epstein
Composer: Sondre Lerche
Screenwriter: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Producer: Jon Shestack, Brad Epstein
Composer: Sondre Lerche
Reviews
It's amiable enough, but the ickiness levels are too high and Juliette Binoche always looks uncomfortable in this shallow-end material.
01/11/08
Top Critic
About as riotous as gassing yourself during a wet weekend in Worksop.
01/11/08
An off-centre rom-com with unlikely stars, this indie drama is neither too funny nor too romantic in its balance of laughs and tenderness. The perfect date movie for middle-aged romantics (and we mean that as a compliment).
01/11/08
Top Critic
It's the unlikely chemistry between Binoche and Carell coupled with Carell's impeccable comic timing (watch out for the shower scene) that keeps you glued to the screen.
01/11/08
Top Critic
Touching, tender and laugh-out-loud funny, this little rom-com will melt your heart then rebuild it afresh. It’s so warm and inviting, you’ll want to spend a week in its company. But you only get 99 minutes. Treasure them.
01/11/08
Top Critic
Smoothly entertaining fare, but with a bit more nerve it could have been so much more.
01/11/08
Top Critic
As the author of ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?’, writer-director Hedges knows how to tell a story about kith and kin without smothering it in goo.
01/11/08
A small but sweetly formed comedy of romantic misfortune that can’t quite keep Hollywood at bay.
01/11/08
Top Critic
Enjoyable, emotionally engaging and frequently hilarious comedy drama with a superb script and terrific performances from its ensemble cast.
01/10/08
Knowingly examines romance, parenthood, grief and betrayal, but succumbs slightly to simplistic sentimentality.
11/22/07
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11/03/07
Carell seems to be at his best when he is put in awkward situations and is forced to make a fool out of himself, and there are plenty of those moments in Dan in Real Life.
07/23/08
Alas, [Hedges'] forays behind the camera with Pieces of April and now Dan in Real Life indicate he's got Sundance intentions but a Hallmark Channel soul.
05/01/08
Writer/ director Peter Hedges likes to touch on deeper emotional truths, but he doesn't have the courage to really probe his characters' struggles in a meaningful way.
03/26/08
Because it touches on the universal themes of loss and love so honestly, it is a film that feels authentic even in its many contrivances.
03/26/08
...ultimately succumbs to an egregious emphasis on inauthentic elements...
03/19/08
I wound up enjoying most of what I saw, despite its familiarity and predictability. The film's got a good heart.
03/07/08
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