Chris and the Real Blog

I've had a couple of people ask me recently why I haven't blogged in a while. And mostly it's been because I haven't been inspired to. It seemed like there was nothing really new to report. But, while perhaps that may have been the right sentiment, it was probably the wrong attitude. I might as well be writing something, for if no other reason than to keep my blogging chops up.

So, with that in mind, I give you my review of Lars And The Real Girl.

Lars And The Real Girl is a movie about an extremely introverted 20-something, played by Ryan Gosling, who suffers from a social phobia to such a degree that even interacting with his brother and sister-in-law, who's garage he occupies, is almost impossible for him. His ability to have any human interactions or meaningful relationships is all but nil. That is until he meets a girl online that he brings home to meet the family. The problem, she's a Real Doll. (For those who don't know, a Real Doll is a "lifelike" sex doll that is supposedly the closest thing the human that money---a lot of money---can buy.)

Reviewing this movie is tricky, because the review is 180 degrees apart depending on whether I review it with my head or my heart.

But let's start with the head. And reviewing from there, it's not so good. First off is somewhat of a problem of tone. Say in one hand you have a comedy with a quirky premise and in the other you have an indie style dramedy with a quirky premise. Both have naturally separate tones to them. Well, this movie is somewhere in the middle, and not always to the best result. The two can successfully mix---the example that springs immediately to mind is The Full Monty---but it's hard to achieve, it's hard to do well. And the problem with the tone here is that it often seems to slip from that balance.

Also, there's what is a more personal issue for me, in that it speaks to my proclivities in how I like my stories told. I have always been, first and foremost, a story man. I love characterization, I like style, and I am a fan on themes and metaphors and allegory, provided they serve what should be the pre-eminent piece: the story. If there were a handbook on how to write themes and allegory, LATRG would be a case study. It does it very well, but the problem is that it does it too well. The themes of the movie and the allegory of what the doll is supposed to represent are too apparent. For me, these things are the things that I think about on the ride home, when I'm going to sleep, the next day. They are layers that I like to unravel slowly over time, depths that are not immediately apparent. They are things enjoyed more fully if time is needed to revela them. I think I caught every single one while I was in the theater watching the film in this case. And being that apparent, to me the movie then became more about those subtexts and less about the story.

At it's heart, the film is about a man who cannot cope with loss, cannot deal with the hard fact that to love somenone, anyone, to let them in and let yourslef be loved by them as well, comes with the price that someday you might lose that person, and you will have to deal with the pain that accompanies that. That is the theme, and it is easier to decribe than the plot, and in my mind it should not be that way. The plot should be what you can describe, the theme(s) should be what you feel.

Speaking of heart, that is where this film succeeds, and succeeds well. Almost every positive review I had seen for this movie described it one way: touching. And to paraphrase the ever-quotable Denny Green: "It was what I thought it was!"

It was touching. So much so that all that I found flawed from an intellectual standpoint was pushed aside by what may have been one of the most touching films I've seen in a long time. If you were to see this film and feel nothing for Lars' and his relationship with Bianca, or with Lars' friends, family and with the townspeople and their developing relationship with Bianca, then you'd better check your heart because it may not be beating. It's as the film goes on that the problems of tone I noted before diminsh and the film finds more confidence in itself, and oddly enough that is because of everyone's relationship with a sex doll, and by extension their relationship with Lars.

As the films cruises into a somewhat predictable ending you find yourself dwelling more not on its predictabilty but on the fact that it is right. It ends where it needs to because that is how this allegory plays out, that is how this theme needs to resolve itself.

My recommendation is this: if you see this film, view it with your heart. It will be a much more fulfilling experience.