Dan in Real Life (2007)
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Theatrical Release: Oct 26, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $47,559,919
Synopsis: Just as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE did in 2006, DAN IN REAL LIFE reveals that Steve Carell is an actor who can do more than just comedy. He's won both accolades and awards as bumbling boss Michael Scott on THE OFFICE, but there's a greater depth to this performance as a single father and man in love.... Just as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE did in 2006, DAN IN REAL LIFE reveals that Steve Carell is an actor who can do more than just comedy. He's won both accolades and awards as bumbling boss Michael Scott on THE OFFICE, but there's a greater depth to this performance as a single father and man in love. Advice columnist Dan Burns (Carell) has his hands full with three daughters that he's not willing to let grow up. The girls still grieve for their mother who died four years ago, and Dan hasn't made any attempts to date. So he's pleasantly surprised when he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) at a bookstore when he goes to his parents' Rhode Island home for the annual family reunion. But his joy is short-lived when he discovers that she is dating his brother (Dane Cook), forcing Dan to hide his feelings and chemistry with Marie. Carell adeptly balances his role's humor and heartache, while Binoche (CHOCOLAT) is radiant as ever. Comedian Cook (GOOD LUCK CHUCK) shows surprising talent as the third leg of their love triangle. Through his duties as director and co-screenwriter, Peter Hedges deserves much of the credit for creating a film that is sweet without being sappy. Even though he's working with a far bigger budget than he did for his directorial debut, PIECES OF APRIL, he still maintains the feelings of intimacy and honesty that made that film such a critical favorite. What could have been a standard romantic comedy of errors turns into a strong film that goes deeper than many of its peers in the genre. DAN IN REAL LIFE also succeeds thanks to its soundtrack from Norwegian indie pop musician Sondre Lerche. The singer's compositions, both originals and favorites from his career, perfectly suit the film's tone and moods. [More]
Genre: Comedies
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt
Screenwriter: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Producer: Jon Shestack, Brad Epstein
Composer: Sondre Lerche
DVD Info
Release:
Mar 11, 2008
DVD Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French, Spanish
- Subtitles - French, Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
- Audio Commentary - Peter Hedges - Writer/Director
- Clips & Highlights - HANDMADE MUSIC: Creating The Score
- Deleted Scenes - Deleted Scenes with Commentary by Writer/Director Peter Hedges
- Outtakes
- Making Of - JUST LIKE FAMILY: THE MAKING OF DAN IN REAL LIFE
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Carell seems to be at his best when he is put in awkward situations and is forced to make a fool out of himself, and there are plenty of those moments in Dan in Real Life.
Alas, [Hedges'] forays behind the camera with Pieces of April and now Dan in Real Life indicate he's got Sundance intentions but a Hallmark Channel soul.
Writer/ director Peter Hedges likes to touch on deeper emotional truths, but he doesn't have the courage to really probe his characters' struggles in a meaningful way.
Because it touches on the universal themes of loss and love so honestly, it is a film that feels authentic even in its many contrivances.
...ultimately succumbs to an egregious emphasis on inauthentic elements...
I wound up enjoying most of what I saw, despite its familiarity and predictability. The film's got a good heart.
Okay for forgiving romance fans, and a maybe-see for the rest of us.
It attempts to take a Three's A Company situation and mix it together with a widower trying to raise three children. This is not cool.
Dan in Real Life is a film willing to admit that love is messy and that family, no matter how strained, is still the most perfect cauldron within which to ferment all those things that make life worth living...
It's hilarious and painful as only real situations can be, and Hedges directs his excellent cast, with sensitivity and wry humour.
It's hard for a film like this not to come off as too sweet, but this grown up comedy manages in making it a real gem.
Writer-director Peter Hedges ('Pieces of April') maintains a perfect balance between the comedy and the romance.
entyposiaka prosgeiomeno kai pisteyto (sto megalytero meros toy toylahiston), me mia epistrosi glykopikroy glassoy panta paroysa, na kalyptei tis elleipseis stoys arhetypikoys perifereiakoys haraktires kai tis sporadikes symbatikes eksarseis toy eidoys
It's amiable enough, but the ickiness levels are too high and Juliette Binoche always looks uncomfortable in this shallow-end material.
About as riotous as gassing yourself during a wet weekend in Worksop.
An off-centre rom-com with unlikely stars, this indie drama is neither too funny nor too romantic in its balance of laughs and tenderness. The perfect date movie for middle-aged romantics (and we mean that as a compliment).
It's the unlikely chemistry between Binoche and Carell coupled with Carell's impeccable comic timing (watch out for the shower scene) that keeps you glued to the screen.
Touching, tender and laugh-out-loud funny, this little rom-com will melt your heart then rebuild it afresh. It’s so warm and inviting, you’ll want to spend a week in its company. But you only get 99 minutes. Treasure them.
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