Reviews

Gus and Karen are shocked to learn that Lars' date is an anatomically correct doll that Lars purchased from the internet.

In the film everyone around Lars, from his brother and sister-in-law to all of the town''s residents, are encouraged to along with Lars' delusion by the local doctor.

It's about an introvert man, Lars (played by Ryan Gosling, who delivers a very decent performance), who lives in the garage trailer from the house where his brother and his sister in law are living.

But it is not just Lars that makes the film so enjoyable, it is the community as a whole, essential to the film as although uneasy at first, come to accept Lars and his condition, welcoming and supporting his new doll partner Bianca.

...if you're looking for something real, something that will move you, something that will let you experience a piece of absolute genuine humanity, then I urge you to pick it up and give it a watch. Magnificent.

While Ryan Gosling's performance as Lars is excellent; full of depth and pain with touches of hope coming through, the real heart of the film for me comes from Emily Mortimer and Paul Schneider, as his sister-in-law and brother respectively.

...I wonder if some of the reviews I read were unduly charitable because they expected from the 'small town man gets sex-doll girlfriend' premise that it would be much worse.

Plot : Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a lonely man who lives right next to his brother.

Gus and Bianca begin seeing wise local doctor Dagmar (Patricia Clarkson) who treats Bianca for "low blood pressure" and tries to help Lars with his delusion by never admitting that Bianca is anything other than a real girl.

For all its whimsy, [I]Lars and the Real Girl[/I] is still a life-affirming, immensely positive, easily enjoyable and magnificently sweet movie that deserves to find an audience.