Lars and the Real Girl
When I first heard there was going to be a film about a man who fell in love with a sex doll, I thought, great another bad Rob Schneider movie. However, after reading articles about the Christian right loving the film; I was instantly intrigued, and knew there had to be something weirder than just a sex doll in this film.
Do not be fooled by the premise of Craig Gillespie’s Lars and the Real Girl, it is actually a touching piece that explores love, loneliness, and tolerance for those outside societal norms. The story revolves around a 27-year-old extreme introvert, who is struggling to cope with the recent death of his father, as well as the long-term guilt over his mother’s death, during childbirth. After hearing about a sex doll, that is “as good as the real thing”, Lars (Ryan Gosling) orders one for himself and literally falls in love with her, believing she is a real person. Lars not only holds full conversations with her, but introduces her to others, in his small Midwestern town, as his new girlfriend, Bianca.
After countless failed attempts at reaching out to him, Lars’ brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer), embrace and accept Bianca as a real and important person in Lars’ life. They do this at the advice of the family doctor (Patricia Clarkson), who sets up weekly therapy sessions for Lars in the guise of treatments for Bianca. Through a series of touching, yet comical scenes, Gus and Karin convince the rest of the small town to play along and let Lars work out his psychological issues naturally.
In a role as unconventional as this, it is impressive how convincingly Gosling plays the part. Almost immediately you can see Lars for what he is; a troubled, socially underdeveloped, boy trapped in a man’s body. Despite the numerous opportunities the script allows for the audience to write Lars off as crazy, Gosling’s performance somehow makes it seem completely normal to have a sex doll as a girlfriend.
With the film taking place in a small Midwestern town, heavily influenced by religion, this easily could have been used as a clichéd backdrop for another intolerance and oppression flick. However, the depiction of the small Midwestern town could not have been further from the truth. The town’s people were so accepting of Lars and Bianca, that by the end of the film, Lars was competing with the townsfolk, for time to spend with his “girlfriend”. With this good-natured, tolerant light that portrays Christians, it is no wonder why conservative groups are flocking to this film, despite the risqué nature of its premise.
With the proper blend of quirky characters, uncomfortable situations, and superb acting, the film allows us to examine humanity in ways that could never be accomplished in a serious drama. During the process of creating a persona for the Real Doll, the characters were able to see what was missing from their own lives. I never thought that I would say something like this, but goes to show that you can learn something about yourself from a sex doll.
Agree or disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Technorati Tags: Lars and the real girl, reviews, comedy, christian, sex doll, tolerance, Gosling, Clarkson, schneider, mortimer
