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Lars and the Real Girl

Ryan Gosling’s dynamic roles in Hollywood hits, as well as Independent films show his talent, patience and passion for his acting career. "Lars and the Real Girl" displays Gosling’s character in a position that few actors have had the persistence or the skill to work with.

Lars is a socially awkward but big-hearted adult who lives in the garage of his brother’s house. He has a normal routine consisting of church, work and household activities. However, he does all of this alone. Despite many attempts by various members of the community to help him with his situation, Lars refuses and seems to prefer the life of seclusion. Then Bianca, the anatomically correct and gorgeous missionary, comes into his life. For the first time, he is able to open up to the world around him and the people who love him. There is just one problem that remains: Bianca is not your average woman. In fact she is not a woman at all. Bianca is a life-size doll that Lars ordered from the internet. He wheels her around in a wheelchair, has conversations with her, bathes her and feeds her. At first, everyone in the community is astonished and bewildered at the situation. But once they stop thinking about the absurdity of it and start realizing the inner conflict behind it, the community reflects less on the doll and more about their love for Lars. They feel that it is only through love and trust that Lars can abandon Bianca. However as time continues, through their love for Lars, the community members end up falling in love with Bianca as well.

In one part of the movie, Lars’ friend from work talks about how silly it was that she just dated this guy because she was lonely, not because she loved him. I feel that we can all relate to this type of settling, including Lars. What makes his position with Bianca any different than his friend’s position with her boyfriend? Neither one is real. Our job as the audience is to think about Bianca in the realistic way that Lars sees her. And since the town falls in love with her, it is easy for us to do so as well. This is what makes this film so creative, it gives life and meaning to concepts and ideas that were once inert.

Like with all art, the sign of a good movie is that it challenges and inspires the viewing audience. By the end of "Lars and the Real Girl" I had gone through every emotion, but ended with an overall sense of comfort for the character, and a needed time of reflection for myself.

Written by: Amy Hillard

Reviewers Rating: 8
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