Sunday, October 28, 2007
A+E, Movies, Reviews
‘Dan in Real Life’ offers mild laughs
The film seems especially flat coming from Peter Hedges
Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche in “Dan in Real Life”
CREDIT: Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures“DAN IN REAL LIFE”
Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche
Directed by Peter Hedges
Rated PG-13
Wide release
My first thought was that “Dan in Real Life” could have been a made-for-TV movie in the 1970s. The film seems especially flat coming from Peter Hedges, a director (“Pieces of April”) and writer (“About a Boy,” “What's Eating Gilbert Grape”) whose previous work has been edgy, even when it was sentimental.
That doesn’t mean “Dan in Real Life” is a bad movie. If you’re craving a mild PG-13 comedy about a functional family, here it is.
Dan Burns (Steve Carell), four years widowed and raising three daughters, writes a newspaper advice column, “Dan in Real Life.” His real life, however, doesn’t go as smoothly as the theoretical one he writes about.
He drives the girls to Rhode Island for a long weekend with the extended family, including Dan’s parents (Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney) and brother Mitch (Dane Cook).
Mitch announces he’s bringing a special guest that weekend, so when Dan goes into town, meets and quickly falls in love with Marie (Juliette Binoche), any hack screenwriter can tell you who Mitch’s “special guest” is and that the next two days will be about Dan and Marie fighting and hiding their mutual attraction in ways serious, awkward and downright silly.
Could the potential romantic interest (Emily Blunt) introduced for Dan turn out to be Mitch’s consolation prize? Will Mitch get angry with Dan but later forgive him? Will the family put on a big talent show? Are we to be spared nothing?
For the answers to these and other less-than-burning questions, see “Dan in Real Life”... or any sitcom on TV Land. TWO AND A HALF STARS—Steve Warren