Comfort Food

What I want to see when I see a movie is people that I could be, doing unthinkable things.   -- Peter Hedges

Let us now praise Steve Carell.

Fast becoming one of our best, most dependable comic icons, Carrell wins empathy via tiny, expertly timed nuances of expression.  Conflicted emotions appear to leak, unbidden, from the corners of his eyes and mouth.  What one sees in the face of Steve is the portrait of an endearing modern masculine fear: Am I giving myself away?  Are my vulnerabilities showing?  Do I look like I'm still okay, in control, on top of this mess I'm making of my life?

Carrell also possesses that necessary equipment vital to great comedic acting: a body that expresses the essence of our mind-body problem.  His gestures betray him, consistently demonstrating that he does not, in fact, know what to do with his physical self in any given situation; he inhabits his body yet it seems not to belong to him.

Brooding and dark in Little Miss Sunshine, exuberantly reprehensible in TV's The Office, Carrell has already created one classic-for-the-ages character as the sweet, gentle uber-nerdly 40 Year-Old Virgin (a role that reveals more genius with every viewing).  With Dan in Real Life, he achieves something perhaps even more difficult: portraying an almost regular guy.  He does indeed keep it real, and he renders Dan fascinating.

Juliet Binoche requires no praise, as her radiance is already long remarked-upon.

Peter Hedges, on the other hand, deserves special consideration.  He's already landmarked himself in my personal screenwriting pantheon for writing the wonderful What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (based on his own novel, no less).  But after a somewhat awkward directorial debut with Pieces of April, he's clearly come into his own with Dan. 

The movie, nicely shot, knowingly observed, feels lived-in, inherently credible even at its most contrived moments.  The casting is as good as it gets, with old pros Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney as the folks you'd like to have, and the almost painfully... steaming Emily Blunt as the one girl who can make Juliet Binoche jealous; even Dane Cook -- up till now thoroughly underwhelming in his non-stand-up career -- does a good turn, and the child actors are great without being cloying.

The absence of cloy, actually, is what makes Dan in Real Life a solid piece of work on the part of Hedges (pictured with his leads, above).  Sentimentality threatens it at every turn, but the movie never capitulates.  Given its Lifetime channel-like premise (the widower newspaper columnist with three cute daughters and the woman he meets who finally shakes him out of his shell), one might run for the hills.  And one, despite the film's many pleasures, may still run: Dan is a room-splitter, as my girlfriend Tater put it.  I can easily understand people loathing this movie, and they're entitled.  I see it as comfort food.

Maybe you always want haute cuisine; maybe only the latest and hippest eaterie will satisfy your rarified tastes.  Me, I still like my occasional peanut butter and jelly (chunky, strawberry, whole wheat and toasted, thanks) and love my meatloaf and mashed.  This is by way of saying that there is absolutely nothing cool about Dan in Real Life.  It is the opposite of cutting edge.

And is that so bad?  Dan is a triumph of the normal -- or rather, the triumph of how far normalcy can be stretched before it pops right into the realm of the absurd.  As Hedges points out in this illuminating interview, he and screenwriting collaborator Pierce Gardner wanted to show how ordinary people react to near-impossible situations.  And the film is at its finest when it gets the small stuff right: a seemingly offhand line of dialogue (listen for Binoche's muttered "oink") or a wryly articulated image (I'm still chuckling over the way Carrell, in a moment of great frustration, doesn't quite skip a too-large stone in the water, and how the three boys watching him do a perfect double-take with their backs to the camera).  And sorry to keep harping on Carrell's great instrument, but man, is he a fantastically awful dancer.

It's the small stuff here that lets us buy into the biggest contrivances.  Lord knows we've all seen that bit where a guy hiding in a shower has to endure the shower being turned on him, fully clothed.  But what Carrell and Binoche manage to do with such a hoary routine is a joy to behold; Hedges has written it well and directed it better, helped by the kind of crackerjack acting that renders the unbelievable totally true.  And there are a few great riffs here -- like one visual running gag about young love that's the best kind of poignant-funny -- that haven't really been done quite this way before.

No need to make too much of it.  Dan in Real Life is no reinvention of any wheel and not liable to please any audient who likes his or her cinema au currant.  Yes, it's predictable, and dangerously warm-and-fuzzy; in this Year of Apatow and the reign of raunchy boy-man rom-coms, the movie looks positively retro.  But if you're a romantic comedy fan in the mood for something that goes down easy and really hits the spot, I'd say Dan's your man.

Comments

[E.C. Henry]

Saw "Dan in Real Life" this afternoon, and I LOVED IT!!! After suffering through raunchy rom-com after raunchy rom-com, this movie is like a breath of heaven to me. If you're a rom-com purist, like I am, this is THE MOVIE of the year you've gotta see.

Billy you're so right, this movie has a very narrow bullseye, but good writing, good acting and good directing have it hitting the bullseye. It works on its own terms.

Perhaps the biggest surpise in this movie for me was how good Dane Cook's acting was. Having seen him in "Good Luck Chuck," then hearing his hipper puppy voice in Word Series promotional commericals, I was expecting him to ruin this movie. BUT to Dane Cook's credit he NEVER OVERACTS in any of the scenes he's in. He is a good Belamy, who appears at times to be tettering into a stereotype, but never quite goes there.

Steve Carell and Juliet Binoche shine as well, but Carell moreso. Having LOVED his work in "40 Year Old Virgin" and his impeccible Micheal Scott in "The Office" Steve Carell shows he's another acting gear in him. He lets the screewriting be funny for him, AND o how it works! "Dan in Real Life" has some funny momments that you get to discover in the watching, that haven't been ruined by the promtional commercials. How rare is that?

"Dan in Real Life" isn't my favorite rom-com of all time, but it is by far the best rom-com I've seen in '07.

Okay, I've gushed enough. Now I'm currious to hear what the rest of the rom-com lovers out there have to say?

- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA

[Christina]

I can't wait to see it. I love fried chicken.

[Scooter]

God, I must be a total snob but I have no desire to see this movie -- even after your well-written and insightful review. I guess I'm getting tired of the whole Steve Carrell shtick (don't get me wrong, I like The Office; it's the only current show I make a point of catching). But the previews make this movie seem like he's playing basically the same character. I liked "Pieces of April." Yes, it was uneven, a bit odd, but it kept me intrigued and interested the whole way. Whereas I think I can pretty much guess exactly where "Dan" is going to go. I guess I'm becoming a cranky old fart, tired of so many movies like this one -- even those that are incredibly well done.

[Scott the Reader]

I liked the movie a lot. Smart story choices throughout, and tonally perfect. In my top ten of the year so far.

[Molly Timmins]

You captured exactly why this movie is important -- and why it isn't -- beautifully. It's a small, personal, character-driven movie, full of the clichés that still move us (I laughed my head off, and cried, too). But it isn't a really big deal. It doesn't have to be. Thanks for making me feel better about my taste.

[jen]

Thanks for the review! this sounds enjoyable and undemanding, which is just the ticket sometimes. From the ads I had no idea it was a romcom.

p.s. Toasted?! Are you moonlighting as sandwich editor at large for Peanut Butter & Jelly Aficionado Magazine??

[mernitman]

E.C. "A narrow bullseye" -- very true -- I like that.

Christina: And it comes with a side o' fries.

Scooter, you cranky old fart -- no, just kidding, hey, I can totally understand your resistance. I'll just note that Carell's role here is 180 from Michael Scott; Dan's anything but pompous and pea-brained.

Scott: "Tonally perfect." Couldn'ta put it better.

Molly I lurve you.

Jen: Is the toasted version really so outre? Maybe it's a New Yorker's norm...

[scarlet hip]

This is totally a date movie, and I don't have a date.

What are you doing Friday night?

[jess]

i love steve carrell. I wish he was my husband.

warm and fuzzy is always nice. So is a good cry through tears.

Except if it's in anyway connected to 'The Notebook'. That movie can die and disappear forever.

Nicholas sparks will rot your teeth out.

[mernitman]

Scarlet: In our alternate universe, we found a sitter for our nine kids and went and laughed and cried. In this one, sorry I wasn't date-available!

Jess: In an alternate universe, "The Notebook" movie was never made.

[jamy]

Saw this mostly based on your recommendation and it was hilarious. I laughed A LOT. That alone made it worthwhile. But it was smart and well-written, despite treading familiar ground. Unfortunately, it reminded me of a similarly-themed, not as well-executed film "The Family Stone."

The only bone I have to pick is that the movie ends up confirming that you can find your true love in three days. But only if she's dating your brother! Heh.

[Dixon Steele]

LOVED this movie and if you also did, I recommend another "Real' movie, LARS & THE REAL GIRL.

Another great ensemble of actors lead by the superb Ryan Gosling. Much quirkier than DAN, but a true delight.

A truly unique RomCom, and I'm curious to get your take on it, Billy.

[mernitman]

Jamy: Glad you enjoyed. Others have noted the "Family Stone" resemblance, but clearly "Dan" did something more substantive with the idea. As for that three day thing... maybe it's also an "only in the movies" phenom.

Dixon: I love Gosling's work, so I look forward to seeing this.