Fashioning a feelgood romcom around such a bizarre accessory is brave enough, but making it successful and not just a one-note, one-joke exercise in bad taste demands real talent.
Luckily, Nancy Oliver’s sweet-natured script takes surprising turns off the beaten track, and is peopled with believable characters good enough for a solid cast to get to grips with.
Gosling’s Lars is an actor’s dream, a non-threatening unbalanced misfit complete with stand-out award show-friendly scenes.
Independent film queen Patricia Clarkson (and star of Six Feet Under) gives a faultless exercise in compassion as Lars’ GP who discreetly analyses him while Bianca undergoes "treatment" for an unspecified illness, and Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer provide comic and dramatic relief as Lars’ brother and sister-in-law.
As Bianca’s “rival” for Lars’ affections Kelli Garner is instantly adorable as the oddball’s co-worker, patiently waiting for Lars to emerge from his lapse of reason.
Special mention to Bianca the Real Doll, playfully used for everything but her intended function, be it reading talking books to a class of fascinated youngsters, giving the girls in the hair salon someone new to gossip with, or guys to puzzle over at a house party.
Oliver and director Gillespie could be criticized for the catch-all dead parent syndrome that the film suggests is the root cause of Lars’ inability to bond with people.
That the entire town rallies around the bizarre Lars also stretches believability, and while Gillespie shows a good eye for wintry location shots, just once could we have a bittersweet indie movie set in spring?
Ultimately, for everyone who loves the eccentric characters, kooky situations and smalltown warmth of Lars and the Real Girl, there is someone spitting their criticism through clenched teeth.
But, for us it’s reminiscent of the films Wes Anderson was making before he got into bed with his own hype.
Rob Daniel
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