Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Craig Gillespie

Writer (WGA):

Nancy Oliver (written by)

Release Date:

25 October 2007 (Singapore)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The search for true love begins outside the box

Plot:

A delusional young guy strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.

Plot Keywords:

Internet | Brother | Sister In Law | Delusion | Sex Doll

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 14 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 12	10:00 AM	SHOW
Fri. Nov. 13	3:30 AM	SHOW
Sun. Nov. 15	6:00 PM	SHOW

Cast

Ryan Gosling	...	Lars Lindstrom
Emily Mortimer	...	Karin
Paul Schneider	...	Gus
R.D. Reid	...	Reverend Bock
Kelli Garner	...	Margo
Nancy Beatty	...	Mrs. Gruner
Doug Lennox	...	Mr. Hofstedtler
Joe Bostick	...	Mr. Shaw
Liz Gordon	...	Mrs. Schindler
Nicky Guadagni	...	Mrs. Petersen
Patricia Clarkson	...	Dagmar
Karen Robinson	...	Cindy
Maxwell McCabe-Lokos	...	Kurt
Billy Parrott	...	Erik
Sally Cahill	...	Deb

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sex-related content.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Canada:14A | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Italy:T | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:12A | South Korea:15 | Norway:A | Argentina:Atp | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:PG | France:U | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Alton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Trivia:

In the scene where Lars is reading to Bianca, he is reading from "Don Quixote", whose main character also has delusions.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the party, when the host puts on a vinyl record, she drops the needle on the first track on the side. But the song that comes out of the speakers is "This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody), which is the last song on the Talking Heads album, "Speaking in Tongues." As the last track, it would appear closest to the center of the album, rather than at the outside edge where the needle is placed. In fact, it has never appeared as the lead-off track on any vinyl album.

Quotes:

Dagmar: So, tell me about Karin. I don't know her very well.
Lars Lindstrom: Oh, she's wonderful. Gus and I are very lucky with women - she's wonderful. But she...
Dagmar: That's okay, let's find you something to read
Lars Lindstrom: No, it's just… between us?
Dagmar: Of course.
Lars Lindstrom: I'm worried about her. I think she has a little problem.
Dagmar: Oh, well, maybe you shouldn't tell me.
Lars Lindstrom: No, that's okay. It's just, and I think it's because she's insecure, it's just, she's just always trying to hug everybody. You know, some people don't like that. Some people don't like to be hugged. But she doesn't realize that. She takes it personally, and, it hurts her feelings. I don't know what to do about that. Do you?
Dagmar: It's such a comfort sometimes, just to have somebody's arms around you. Don't you think?
Lars Lindstrom: No.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "At the Movies: (#6.1)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody) Live Version

'Being There' for a new generation.

I just saw a screening in LA and a packed house of SAG members LOVED this film! Ryan Gosling's performance hearkens back an equally moving and effective performance from Peter Sellers in Being There, which Gosling and director Craig Gilespie admitted was about their only reference point. Gosling's character is sweet, good natured, and painfully shy and is the heart and soul of this film. His performance as Lars (along with patient direction and a wonderful script) is the prime reason that it all works. I laughed HARD throughout, but by the end I shed real tears over the plot and characters - and I thought doing so over a talking pig was bad! This is a performance WAY out of the ordinary for Gosling, and most of today's young actors could not have pulled it off. Expect an Oscar nomination for Gosling and for the screenplay.