**1/2 Stars
Steve Carell has really come into his own these past few years, with his over-the-top supporting performances (Anchorman & Bruce Almighty), his successful lead role in NBC's The Office, and his more subdued work in the Oscar Winner Little Miss Sunshine. Dan in Real Life joins Sunshine as one of Carell's most personal and realistic performances. Too bad the film falls shy of greatness due to a lackluster and unfortunately clichéd ending. Also, notice how I didn't include Evan Almighty? In my mind, that film no longer exists.
Dan in Real Life is supposed to be wise about human nature. And it succeeds to a point, and that point comes at a crucial climatic moment that fails to give us real truth. It goes for the heart, but skips important reasoning in the process.
Dan Burns (Carell) is a widowed father, devoted to his three daughters who mistake him for being an over protected basket case. However, to his family and friends, he certainly becomes one after he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore. She is the first woman Dan has fallen for since the death of his wife. He runs home to tell his entire family, only to find out that she is dating his brother Mitch (Dane Cook). What starts of as an extremely failed idea for a sitcom manages to swoon smoothly above the level of disaster. However, the only problem with this idea is that somewhere down the line, a sitcom idea must have a sitcom ending.
Now, I did enjoy the film's theme of family values. The entire film is mostly set in a family household involving issues we the viewers can all relate to: A widowed father, a daughter in love, learning how to drive, family traditions and games, and in this case a crucial time for the maturity of Dan's children. Dan's change of heart over the course of the film challenges the regrets of his past and decisions of his future. What takes away from these moments is an ending way too comfortable for us to believe. The title should be Dan in
No comments:
Post a Comment