Movies

Dan in Real Life

Okay, I love Steve Carrell. Really, anything he does is great. I even loved his character "Brick" on Anchorman a few years back. He can play a funny character or a serious character. It doesn't matter. I felt like this was the perfect role for him because it balanced out his funny and serious sides.
Dan is an advice columnist for a local newspaper and the single father of 3 girls. Still grieving over the loss of his wife, he's been reluctant to date again. That all changes when he meets Marie. They have an immediate connection, but the prospect of dating her seriously is dashed when he finds out she's actually dating his brother. Throughout the movie we watch Dan struggle to hide his feelings for Marie, though it proves quite difficult. Besides all the drama associated with that, we also watch him strive to maintain a relationship with his daughters and attempt to find his place in his own family. This was a great love story without being too sappy and pathetic. It had genuinely funny parts...like the "Ruthie 'Pigface' Draper" song comes to mind. :) I felt like the family was authentic and the characters all meshed well. And the soundtrack fit the movie perfectly. You know, it's just a feel good movie. Yes, there are some lam-o lines here and there, and some predictability as far as the plot goes. But all in all I had no regrets with this film.