Review of Dan in Real Life

Movie #54 - Dan in Real Life

Dan in Real Life is a film about a widow named Dan who is raising his three daughters alone. It is time for the annual family get-together to close up his parents cottage in Rhode Island. During his first day in town, he meets a woman named Marie in a bookshop. They hit it off, and Dan falls for her immediately. He finds out that the man she is "in a new relationship" with is his younger brother, Mitch. This becomes extremely awkward and difficult for Dan to watch his younger brother be so happy with the woman of Dan's dreams. Marie falls for Dan as well, so it makes it even more difficult for the two of them to keep up the charade of not really knowing each other. Marie breaks it off with Mitch and leaves. Dan runs after her, and the two of them are caught together by the entire family. This is when Dan has to reveal to his family, and Mitch, that the woman he fell for in the bookshop was Marie. Eventually his family forgives him, and they realize that Dan has found the happiness he has been searching for. They encourage him to go after her, and he does. Marie and Dan live happily ever after.

This film is incredible. There are some parts that are slow, but it is a Dramedy, so that's to be expected. You get the funny parts, but they come with the serious parts as well. I really love the story line for this movie. It's so real. To meet someone and fall in love with them in three days is completely possible. Dan's middle daughter keeps talking about how she loves her boyfriend, and they've only known each other for a few weeks. Dan ignores her and tells her she's young and crazy, but then he ends up falling for Marie in three days. When you find "The One," you just know. It only takes a few days for that realization to sink in, and then you're in love for life. It sounds corny, but it's so true. That's the message of the film, and I adore it. To watch Dan struggle with his feelings, but still trying to be the best dad he can be to his three girls: I'm a sucker for it. Add the attractive Steve Carell, and I'm sold 100%.

The only aspect of the film that I don't particularly like is how perfect their family is. They play games together, exercise together, eat together, host a family talent show...it's all a little Brady Bunch to me; however, I will also say that that is an aspect of the film that I like as well. It's a love-hate thing. I love seeing a large family so completely connected to one another. My family is so broken that there's no way of fixing it, so it's comforting to be able to escape for two hours into a family like Dan's. They are all so supportive of each other, and they participate in family activities without a single one of them complaining. It's something to dream about when you don't have a family like that. So even though I hate how perfectly unrealistic the family moments seem, there's also a part of me that is jealous of that and wishes it were real.

The casting in this film is phenomenal. I really connect to each of the actors on the screen, and I follow them through their journey. Only a truly good film can do that. Steve Carell is fantastic, and then add Alison Pill as his daughter and Dianne Wiest as his mother, and you have some actors to die for! I do think it was funny though, as I was watching the film this time, I noticed that Matthew Morrison, from Glee, is the police officer that Dan keeps running into...literally. It's nice to see him playing a role other than Will Schuester. Matthew Morrison is talented, but he doesn't get enough credit because he's on Glee...and people like to hate on Glee.

And can I just take a moment to say that I have, as of recently, for some unknown reason, developed a major crush on Steve Carell. Like I don't even know where this came from at all. He is fantastically beautiful. In this movie though, he is just someone I can't stop looking at...even when he's next to Dane Cook. Maybe it's the characters he plays that help play a part into my attraction, but it's definitely a huge attraction. This has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of Dan in Real Life, but thank you for letting me gush for a moment.

Overall, I give Dan in Real Life 4 out of 5 stars.