I was reluctant to see a romantic comedy for this weeks review because in the past four years as a movie reviewer for the Monitor, I don’t think any of them I’ve seen or reviewed have been decent (or anywhere near that classification). But, knowing that there are good romantic comedies out there in the world, I try to give a few of the new one’s a chance every year, just because I’m that kind of a guy. What also motivated me to see this movie was the fact that Steve Carrell could act his way out of any situation… I just love him, his movies (excluding Evan Almighty because I haven’t seen it nor do I want to), and all the television work he’s been a part of. And on top of that, the girl wasn’t just some typical ditzy, young actress, but was Juliette Binoche, who is just awesome.
The movie revolves around Dan Burns (Carrell), a widower with three daughters, aged 9, 14, and 17, who makes a living by writing a column called “Dan in Real Life” where he answers questions about, you guessed it, life. The family travels to a family reunion at Dan’s parents where, while at a local bookstore, Dan falls for Marie (Binoche). But, after getting her number, saying goodbye, and heading back to the house, he discovers she is the new girlfriend of his younger brother, Mitch (Dane Cook). The rest of the movie revolves around the tension which builds between them, Dan and his family, and how Dan can’t seem to take his own advice which is so effective and up for syndication.
I really don’t have much to say that is critical about the movie, but part of that is because I relate well to Dan; his problems talking with women, expressing emotion, dealing with stress and family, and his hidden depression. The movie definitely has a cynical edge to it at parts, and I appreciated that; life isn’t always happy, it isn’t always nice, it’s dirty and depressing too (perhaps more than it should be). Anyways, at parts of the movie, he did things I either have done or could see myself doing, and I just sunk into my chair while my friends laughed and looked my direction.
But, like I said above, it’s an amazing romantic comedy. Really, it’s just a solid movie. If you’ve got some time and want to see a solid flick which is happy, sad, funny, and about romance, then check out Dan in Real Life before you have to wait for the DVD release.