Dan in Real Life (2007)

I rather liked this when I saw it, but the further I get from it, the more critical I am.

The main problem, I think , is that I didn't really get what was so magical about the early encounter -- yes, I got that it impacted both Dan (Steve Carell) and Marie (Juliette Binoche), but it's a movie's job to make ME feel what they're feeling, not just assure me that they certainly do feel it, alright. I also really hated all three of his daughters: the eldest acted like she was thirty, the middle one was histrionic (though I have to give it to her -- she was certainly believable), and the youngest said such non-young things it was pretty ridiculous.

I think what was really so heartwarming about the film was the family at its core: a family that enjoys each other and is comfortable rather than formal -- the kind of family I'm hoping will laze around my house when I'm a grandmother.

B