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Lars and the Real Girl Review

Release Date: Oct 12, 2007
Rated: some sex-related content
Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.
Genres: Art House/Foreign, Comedy, Drama
Director:Craig Gillespie
Cast:Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson, Kelli Garner. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

4.5

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

Gosling is the perfect guy to play Lars. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

4.0

70

out of 100

Metascore^®
Generally favorable reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
100

out of 100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
It's nothing less than a miracle that the director, Craig Gillespie, and the writer, Nancy Oliver, have been able to make such an endearing, intelligent and tender comedy from a premise that, in other hands, might sustain a five-minute sketch on TV.

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50

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Really, I think we put up with Lars at all only because Gosling has such an affinity for the wounded boy birds he tends to play that it's easy to watch him do his thing.

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80

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter
A deep, sweet-hearted study not only of one lonely character but also of the community that supports him.

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88

out of 100

USA Today Claudia Puig
At a time when romantic comedies seem to have exhausted unique ideas, along comes Lars, an original, amusing and heartfelt tale sharply written by Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under).

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88

out of 100

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
How this all finally works out is deeply satisfying. Only after the movie is over do you realize what a balancing act it was, what risks it took, what rewards it contains. A character says at one point that she has grown to like Bianca. So, heaven help us, have we.

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See all Lars and the Real Girl reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 15+

Sex doll takes center stage in quirky comedy.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know the movie's focus on the main character's "relationship" with a very lifelike sex doll may raise questions from young viewers about just exactly what one is -- and what it does. The film also focuses on Lars' emotional disorder, in part explained by his distress over the fact that his mother died during his birth and his father's bad behavior afterward (these events come up in conversation but aren't shown). Expect some slangy references to women's bodies and sexual activities.

Families can talk about whether the movie seems at all realistic -- and, for that matter, whether it's intended to. Does the doctor do the right thing in letting Lars believe in Bianca's existence? Do you think it's believable that the townspeople play along? What do you think the movie's overall message is?

The good stuff

Messages: Lars' emotional disturbance leads him to believe that a life-sized sex doll is his girlfriend; on a doctor's advice, his fellow townspeople go along with the idea in order to ease his upset. Lars' brother is very distressed by his behavior.

What to watch for

Violence: A minor scuffle between Lars and Karin (she tackles him), meant as comedy.
Sex: The film focuses on Lars' "romance" with an inflatable sex doll, so it includes discussions of porn, sexual activity, and desire. A couple of shots of a porn Web site show girls in underwear. Brief cleavage shot, plus shot of Bianca the doll's bare bottom. Brief discussion of homosexuality, as neighbors think that Lars might be gay.
Language: Minor language, including a couple of uses each of "hell" and "damn." Some slangy allusions to sex (i.e., "the right cowboy to tame this wild filly," "slutty hunk of silicone").
Consumerism: Cracker Jack.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: A background character smokes a cigarette.

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 3.71

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