Dan In Real Life
Reviewer: Jordan Brown
Issue 103 May 2008
(1 votes, average: 7 out of 10)
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Dan’s not the man.
The Lowdown: An expert at giving out relationship advice, agony uncle Dan Burns just can’t seem to find someone for himself. When he meets the lovely Marie, it seems things could finally be looking up – that is until he finds out that she’s his brother’s new girlfriend.
Review: Judging by the film’s mirthful trailer and the fact that it stars two of today’s biggest comedians, you’d expect Dan In Real Life to be nothing short of a hoot. However, the truth is that it’s really not much of a comedy at all. Still, it’s not as if viewers will be disappointed, because while the flick is light on laughs, it’s heavy on sentiment and charm. It’s nearly all thanks to Steve Carell delivering his most earnest and heartfelt performance since Little Miss Sunshine. Playing the lead with real-world fervour, America’s answer to David Brent plays the downtrodden widower with such ease and comfort that it barely seems like acting.
A solemn and tragic soul, Dan Burns cares for one thing in his life – his family. Writing an advice column for a newspaper, he spends his days dishing out sound advice to all who require it, while also caring for his three precocious daughters. Getting little out of life himself, it seems as if nothing will drag Dan out from under his cloud of pent up frustration and gloom. Things begin to look up for him when he takes a break from a family get-together and meets a woman named Marie at a bookstore. Cue hours of yakking and flirting before Dan returns to his family with a new lease on life and a smile on his mug. Unfortunately, the pleasure is short-lived when Dan’s brother introduces his new girlfriend – Marie. Does Dan once again put family first and forgo the chance to be truly happy again or does he risk losing his family’s respect in the name of love?
An emotional juggernaut of a movie, Dan In Real Life brims with charm. A perfectly pitched tale of personal struggle, it’s a captivating yarn that’ll touch the hearts of anyone with the sense to pop it in their DVD player. On top of Carell’s sound turn as the anguished family man, the rest of the cast also deliver inspiring performances. Juliette Binoche plays Marie with her typical charisma and magnetism while, as Dan’s nice-guy brother Mitch, Dane Cook shows that he can clearly work well outside the realm of the ropey teen comedy. With the likes of Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney and Emily Blunt also on board to deliver the goods, it rounds off a movie that’s simply impossible to dislike. Accompanying the ace feature is a good bunch of extras. Onboard is an insightful commentary by Peter Hedges, a handful of deleted scenes, a blooper reel and a couple of featurettes that focus on the production itself as well as the film’s fantastic score by Sondre Lerche. Altogether it makes for a disc that may not exactly change your life, but it’ll certainly make you feel a bit better about your family. One thing’s for sure, it’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
FILM: 8 EXTRAS: 7
DVD Info:
US Certificate: PG-13
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt, Dianne Wiest
Directed By: Peter Hedges, 2008
Distributor: Touchstone
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 98 mins
Price: £17.99
Special Features:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Peter Hedges
Deleted Scenes With optional Commentary
Outtakes
‘Just Like Family’ Featurette
‘Handmade Music: Creating The Score’ Featurette
