By Faith McQuinn
Beware fans of Steve Carell. If you loved him in THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN or ANCHORMAN, you probably won’t be so excited about seeing DAN IN REAL LIFE. If you loved LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, then go buy your tickets now. Obviously, the two teenage boys sitting in the back of my theatre were of the VIRGIN variety. I’ve never had the urge to throw things at people during a movie, but these kids were about to get a bag of Twizzlers in the face.
Audience members aside, DAN IN REAL LIFE is an excellent example of why Steve Carell--in my opinion--is a bit of a genius. DAN is a great balance of laugh-out-loud hilarity as well as tissue-grabbing honesty, and Carell handles both incredibly well.
Carell stars as Dan Burns, a widower and father to three girls. Jane (Alison Pill), the oldest, is subdued and desperately ready to drive. Cara (Brittany Robertson) is overly dramatic and a bit too involved in the boy she’s know for three weeks. Lilly (Marlene Lawston) is the youngest, the cutest, and possibly the smartest of the three. Dan’s wife has been gone for four years, and his entire family is ready for him to move on. During a traditional weekend spent at his parent’s vacation home, Dan meets Marie (Juliette Binoche), possibly the woman of his dreams, who turns out to be dating his brother Mitch (Dane Cook).
Just as in most romantic comedies, it is glaringly obvious Mitch and Marie make a horrible match. Mitch is an exercise guru who loves fast cars and usually fast women. Marie is a world traveler who’s quiet and extremely intelligent. Dan falls for her in one afternoon over tea and a huge muffin, but they’re both crest-fallen at their predicament. What makes DAN IN REAL LIFE different from most other rom-coms is that the meant-to-be couple knows they are meant to be. They aren't hiding secrets from each other; they're hiding from the rest of the family.
Besides the sickeningly perfect family atmosphere, the story is rather realistic. I know that if I spent a long weekend with my entire family in a small cabin, there is just no way we’d all get along as well as these people, but I do know that I would have a great time making fun of my brother about his new girlfriend or lack thereof. I also don’t believe I’ve ever found myself naked in a shower with a guy I’m crushing on, but the reactions that both Binoche and Carell have during the scene are so real, I completely accepted the impossibility of it all.
I’m one of those people who usually prefers Dane Cook, the really funny stand-up comedian to Dane Cook, the not-so-funny actor, but I have to hand it to him in this movie. Probably very much due to director Peter Hedges gentle nature, Cook is subdued and very much underplays his usually boisterous self. Only twice did the real Dane Cook peek out, and both times were acceptable and never stole Carell’s thunder.
It’s very rare that a movie can make me laugh so hard I squirt soda out my nose while simultaneously making me sniffle and tear up. DAN IN REAL LIFE does just that. It has been called this year’s LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, and I think it’s more than just Steve Carrel that brings on the comparison. It starts out as a great, small, quiet movie that grows louder and funnier and sillier, but then brings you back down to earth. The ending is very predictable, some of the moments are a little too sweet, but overall, DAN IN REAL LIFE is not to be missed.