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by Jeff Eason |
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Leads shine in light yet charming
rom-com Dan in Real Life
Steve Carell went from John Stewart sidekick to
major motion picture star in a nanosecond with the success
of the 2005 comedy The 40 Year-Old Virgin. Since then
he has taken one step forward with a fine turn in Little
Miss Sunshine, and two steps back with the unmitigated
turkeys Bewitched and Evan Almighty.
Steve Carell and
Juliette Binoche share a laugh in the new romantic
comedy Dan in Real Life. |
John Mahoney and
Dianne Wiest star as Burns family elders in the
new romantic comedy Dan in Real Life. |
Carell returns to the role that got him where he is in
the new romantic comedy Dan in Real Life. He plays the
title role, a nice guy 40-something widower with three
daughters whose job is writing an advice column for the
local newspaper. Although he seems to have great notions
on how his readers should solve their problems, he is
at sea when it comes to his own which include his middle
daughter Cara’s ( Brittany Robertson) hormonal explosion
and his reluctance to start a new romance four years after
the death of his wife.
When he takes the girls to Rhode Island for the annual
family reunion, he meets a woman named Marie (Juliette
Binoche) at a bookstore. They hit it off and spend a magical
morning talking to each other. Dan is immediately smitten
until he finds out that Marie is his younger brother Mitch’s
(Dane Cook) girlfriend who is there to meet the rest of
the Burns family.
I must admit that it was at this point in the movie that
I said to myself, “This is the same plot as The Family
Stone!” But I let it slide. After all, it might be
the same story but the cast is definitely an upgrade with
Carell in the Luke Wilson role, Binoche taking the place
of Sarah Jessica Parker, John Mahoney replacing Craig
T. Nelson as family patriarch and the old Diane switcheroo
with Dianne Wiest usurping Diane Keaton in the mom role.
Over the long family get together, Dan tries to hide his
feelings for Marie through the usual methods: denial,
anger, self-loathing, etc. In those moments where he lets
his guard down, however, he starts to discover that she
likes him back.
As a comedy, Dan in Real Life is not exactly chock full
of the big boffo laughs one would expect from the guy
who starred in The 40 Year-Old Virgin. As a romantic comedy,
however, this one hits the spot as Carell and Binoche
share a genuine chemistry that makes you pull for them
to get together by the end of the film. It is also a family-based
comedy that seems real instead of forced, a rarity in
the genre these days. Dan’s daughters (Robertson,
Allison Pill and Marlene Lawston) are perfectly cast and
always add to the story without being cloying or manipulative.
In its description of the complexities of family relationships
Dan in Real Life hits the same chords as In Her Shoes,
only with a soft strum instead of a powerful slam.
Fans of Dane Cook’s stand up comedy might be surprised
at how restrained and charming he is as Mitch, especially
since this is his first major role in a movie where people
play real characters.
“The minute I saw Dane performing I knew he was Mitch,”
said director Peter Hedges. “He was really an untested
film actor at that time, but I had a very strong instinct,
and I knew he would be a wonderful combination with Steve.
I really wanted to see what might happen with these two
natural comedians bouncing off one another.”
Added Cook, “You don’t see a lot of films like
this about real families, about how inside families, you
can bash each other, you can be raw and honest, but you’ll
also come to another family member’s aid.”
Short and sweet, with a number of funny and heartbreaking
moments, Dan in Real Life is another step forward in Carell’s
filmmaking career.
Dan in Real Life is rated PG-13 for some innuendo. It
is currently playing at Regal Cinemas in Boone.
Although many film fans I know complain about
the increasing number of movie trailers shown before the
main feature (Dan in Real Life had six previews), I generally
enjoy them. When they are great they make me count the
days until the movie in question hits the theatres.
Such is the case of Juno, a movie with a tentative release
date of January 28, 2008. Directed by Jason Reitman, Juno
stars Ellen Page as Juno McGuff, a smart aleck high school
girl who finds herself very pregnant. She searches for
suitable parents and picks the Lorings played by Jennifer
Garner and Jason Bateman. That’s about all I know
about Juno but the trailer is absolutely hysterical. You
can see it by going to Dan in Real Life or searching for
it on www.youtube.com.
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