Genres

Visitors Review

Mysticum 2012-05-23 05:12:57

The most thoroughly repulsive main character in modern cinematic history.

I suppose my vote may be harsh, but I do not consider a movie thatconstantly makes me cringe with embarrassment and repulsion a good one.Steve Carell's character is an unrestrained ass of the first degree.Almost every scene in the movie has him doing something that makes meshake my head and frown. He repeatedly spits his brother in the face,and forces his entire extended family witness his unfathomably pettybehavior, which they handle with admirable restraint. To avoidspoilers, I will not elaborate on the nature of his trespasses againstcommon decency, but they are legion.The only likable character in the movie is Steve Carell's brother (DaneCook), who is an amazing fellow: decent, loyal, and honest.I realize that my opinion is not aligned with that of the masses, but Ithought I'd offer an alternative view of this train wreck of a movie -a movie which is neither funny nor heartwarming.If Steve Carell is supposed to leave a positive impression on theviewer, then there is little hope for humanity.

2012-05-22 14:30:07

No chemistry . .

I think this movie would have been SO much better had they recast Juliette Binoche with somebody else (anybody else actually!) like Monica Potter for instance. I never bought Ms. Binoche on any level in this film and the entire family's total gushing over her was so unbelievable. Steve Carell's so-called chemistry with her was painful to watch. But the setting was beautiful!

frank-980 2012-05-22 14:51:38

Flawless

I was reluctant to see this one, even though I loved APRIL and GILBERTGRAPE, but I couldn't imagine that anyone could wring anything new outof the sort of bleak "falling in love with the brother's girlfriend"premise, but this is actually a very profound, truthful, flawless moviewith a great atmosphere. I'm especially amazed how Peter Hedges makesus know the characters the instant they appear, through their gestures,their clothing , and through how they say what they say. There isnothing spectacular about Peter Hedges or his movies, it's justimmediate, heartfelt cinema. If you like the work of Richard Curtis and/ or Roger Mitchell, you will like this one very much.I would have preferred Jason Falkner or Roger Manning Jr. for thesoundtracks, though, but that's just a personal preference :-)

bagheera-1 2012-05-21 21:08:14

Don't even let them.

I cant believe somebody just compared this movie to "Lars and the realgirl". Very disturbing.Where "Lars and the real girl" is a lovable, compassionate, tragic andvery human, yes in essence a brilliant movie, "Dan in real life" is...nothing of the kind.Its shallow, its unlovable, its unempathical.Dan, father of three, is being lynch mobbed throughout the movie, byhis daughters, by his mother, and we are expected to laugh about it?Its not funny. Its not done in a funny way, but a vicious.The movie don't expect us to to laugh about human tragedy, or thehardships of a single father. It expects us to laugh at him. On top ofthat we have this sadistic mother, a totally unbelievable family and asuperhuman girlfriend with no wrongs at all. How on earth can people rate this a 10? This is not a feel good movie,and i cant understand how this can have such a high rating at IMDb.Some have suggested that its because of strategic manipulation. Thatjust might be true.I do suggest to everyone to see this move though, and then come hereand rate it. 7 is just too high. See it, and you will agree with me.I love romantic comedies, i love most of steve carrels movies to date,but this one.. it annoys me to no end that the rating of this move onIMDb actually got me to rent it. First time ever for me that IMDb havebeen so fatally wrong. Please, rent it, watch it, rate it. Don't letthe movie companies win.

Mia Getty 2012-05-17 20:19:58

More like Dan in REEL Life

Being a fan of Little Miss Sunshine, I had high expectations of Dan inReal Life. The first time I saw it I was with a friend, and we becameso bored with it that by the first couple scenes, we stopped watching.I tried watching it again earlier today and, while I got further intoit than before, I couldn't bear to watch the whole thing.The bottom line for me was that this movie tries way too hard. All ofthe family scenes seem either fantastically fake or very forced. I grewfrustrated when I watched the aerobics scene... It made me think, "Isthere really such a family out there?" I read a comment comparing thismovie to the Brady Bunch, and I couldn't think of a better comparison.Most of it is extremely stereotypical- the father is alwaysmisunderstood when he tries to protect his daughters from growing up.And what do his daughters do in return? They make his life miserable.Most people with these hell-children would've disciplined them or doneSOMETHING... However, he sits there and takes it all with apain-filled, "Okay." Someone needs to give this man a Parenting forDummies book, because he just can't do anything right. Much less be agood father.Another problem in the movie was that I couldn't feel sorry for any ofthe characters. I found them all seriously unlikeable. Dan suffers formost of the movie. It made me feel like I was watching a Ben Stillermovie, like Flirting with Disaster.Really, that's just what Dan is doing. He falls in love with AnneMarie,a world-traveling super-girlfriend who seems to do everything right.The whole family has a new obsession- Mitch's new girlfriend. Isuffered during the dinner scene, where Dan is forced to watch thewhole family ask question after question to AnneMarie in admiration.Was there anything in this movie that was REMOTELY believable?! Theplain answer is no. A big no. There is no way this movie could'vegotten worse.Bottom Line: Don't watch this movie. It was awful. Go watch one ofSteve Carell's better works, like Little Miss Sunshine. Anything butthis movie.

Katherine Withington 2012-05-17 15:37:26

Annoying characters ruin movie

I cant stand movies that create annoying characters and expect you tolike them, and if you don't you are screaming at the screen right tillthe end. Dans love interest, Marie, would rather have two brotherswrapped around her little finger than be a tad bit decent and clear thewhole mess up and stick with one. The real clincher was when she wasactually ANNOYED when Dan was with someone else, and then took it outon him the next day like he owed her something. The ending waspredictable however much i prayed that it wouldn't be so. If you likeweak, sloppy characters then watch this movie, otherwise if you arelooking for stronger, less annoying characters stay away.

2012-05-16 09:29:53

Earth-shattering is 5 stars, merely excellent is 4.

This review is from: Dan in Real Life (DVD) This is an excellent movie. Those who love reunion films and great (realistic) acting will need to look into this movie. Based on a book of the screenplay, I bought this movie and I am extremely happy I did. Definitely recommended, with ample extras to extend your viewing experience.

nuhc 2012-05-15 21:12:32

Dry & uninteresting

I can always tell whether or not I like a movie by how riveted I am toit. This is one example of where I kept finding myself beingdisinterested & my mind wandering. I don't know if this movie intendedto be funny or not, but if it was supposed to be, it was even drierthan "The Office," in which I enjoy watching Steve Carrell. But thestory just seemed to sit there, and watching this movie I felt like Iwas trapped in a stranger's house for a weekend but couldn't leave dueto politeness. I basically couldn't wait for it to end and didn'treally care how it ended. The characters may have been developed, but Iguess it was just the story line that failed to interest me.

2012-05-13 06:59:10

A heart-warming comedy about the pitfalls of love

Dan is a widower raising 3 kids (all of whom have reasons for disliking him, as children are wont to do with their single fathers in Hollywood films). When he goes on a trip to a family get-together, and meets a woman in a bookstore, he sees a new hope for his future--until that girl turns out to be his brother's girlfriend..."Dan in Real Life" isn't a perfect movie. The plot--specifically, certain scenes--are a bit contrived. And there isn't much chemestry between Carrell and Juliette Binoche at first (there's more later on, specifically during the bowling alley scene). But the film never really sets out to be perfect--in fact, it deals with the imperfections of love. Dan's own brother tells him he should do whatever it takes to get this girl--but how can Dan do that, when it's his brother's girlfriend? Combine that with the tired-joke of a self-help writer who can't help himself, and you've got the makins for a (feel) good comedy.If nothing else, watch the movie for Steve Carrell. Those who know him from "The Office" or "Anchorman" or even "40 Year Old Virgin" might be a bit shocked...but don't be. Carrell isn't just one of the great comedy actors of our time--he can do drama, too. He will break your heart. Dane Cook surprised me; I'm not much of a fan of his standup, and even though he won me over in "Mr. Brooks," I was skeptical about this particular casting choice. However, he is remarkable (I still refuse to watch "Employee of the Month" though, and am ignoring "Waiting"). Juliette Binoche is charmingly out of place as the girl torn between two men (I think a little more could have gone into developing her character). Peter Mahoney is remarkable as always, and the rest of Dan's family (good lord, was Amy Ryan in EVERY movie released in the past year?) is superbly portrayed. The "piggy song" sequence in particular is pure and utter enjoyment.So "Dan" isn't perfect (both guy and movie), but is certainly enjoyable (again, guy and movie). It does indeed border on the "feel good" comedy genre, but has hints of genuine pathos in there, far more than most comedies. It's not really a romantic comedy (don't think of it like that; if anything, it's the antithesis)...it's more in a genre of its own. And hopefully, it will inspire Steve Carrell to broaden his horizons further (as he did previously in, say, "Little Miss Sunshine," though this is certainly more an out-right comedy than that darkly humorous little gem). The man can make you laugh 'til your sides hurt one second, and rip your heart out of your chest the next. He, and the rest of the cast, breathe life and soul into this engaging comedy/drama about what a pain in the butt love can be.

2012-05-12 11:20:51

What a real life mistake this was...

Man this was really a low point in Steve Carell's career. I think he's a fantastic actor and I usually love his work, but boy did he make a mistake in taking on this piece of garbage. I'm guessing the movie was going for the whole artistic depth thing but frankly, I just don't understand it. The humor was forced and the plot was boring and ridiculous at the same time. Skip this one if you're not forced into watching it.

tinygreenmunkey 2012-05-07 23:27:44

Is love an ability?

I rented this for Emily Blunt :) and even though her screen time istiny, it was satisfyingly funny as heck! I'm not a father or a widower, but I have lost one of my parents and Ihave taken care of my niece and nephew, so I feel I can be a liljudgmental in my review. I will get the most bothersome part out first.Dealing with the death of a spouse must be difficult, I cannot imaginehow Dan managed to move on and from what it appears- has managed toprovide a healthy, meaningful life to his three daughters and stillhave the energy to smile and make individual sandwiches. Dealing withthe death of their mother must have been equally hard for thedaughters, especially the elder ones, which I guess is the reason why Iwas prepared to be forgiving in the beginning of the movie when themiddle child is shown to be exceptionally vile to her father.OK. You are 15 yrs old and you believe you are in "love" and proceed toact like a crazed lunatic, lying, blubbering and screeching painfullyat every opportunity your father tries to talk some sense into you.Your dad is at least above 40, has been through a marriage,childbirths, career- by all rights he would be having some frame ofreference to base his decisions on? Cara, I'm really sorry to say, isan ungrateful, spoilt, ill-tempered (even for a 15 yr old!!), rude anda down-right vile child. I know I said vile before. There is no otherway to describe her treatment of her father. I felt no sympathy for herand it was incredibly wrong of the movie-makers to have the finalscene, where her poor father apologizes to her (the others, I canunderstand). He shouldn't ever have to apologize for looking out forhis daughter when admittedly at 15 we are known to make really stupiddecisions! Apart from Cara, I loved Dan- such a delightful man. Funny and sweetand so endearingly unsure, wanting to be loved and show love and justhave that acceptance again in his life. Wanting to do the right thingbut bungling it up colossally cause he's a man- flawed and in love. Ifelt he could have perhaps eased up with his eldest on her driving thecar. If he could perhaps have shown more confidence in her. Theyoungest was just plain adorable and so wise! Loved her character.I loved the dynamic between Dan and Marie, I think it was extremelywell showcased- wanting to be together yet forcing yourself not to beyet going ahead and throwing yourselves at each other in tiny lilmoments, knowing its wrong, wanting it to be right, hoping no onenotices... ahhh! sweet love! I have read views here that think Binochewasn't the right choice, but I think it worked beautifully. Her accent,her slightly bohemian personality worked wonderfully against Carells.The Burns Family, although a tad annoying (noisy laundry at night,barging in on private conversations) are close-knit (perhaps too much?)We get it... the film-makers wanted to portray an over-the-top butstill lovable smattering of people that we all have in our ownfamilies.My favorite scene is the one where they double date and Dan attempts to"dance", cracks me up every time! My second favorite scene is thebookstore scene, it was played out so naturally.I enjoyed this one a lot!

Emily 2012-05-07 17:54:09

Less than funny

I went to see this movie after hearing raving reviews, but I foundmyself half asleep only about an hour in. No, the acting was not bad atall, I just found the plot completely boring. The beginning was decent.The main character, Dan, falls in love with his brother's girlfriend.After that, it was just very repetitive. A few awkward moments, some ofwhich were anything but funny. Most were him and his brother'sgirlfriend talking... about nothing imparticular. Some made me chucklebut nothing side-splitting. Their were parts where all you were doingwas watching him sit there being bored. Other times it was likewatching home videos of a family who you don't even know. Another thingthat bugs me about movies in general is the atmosphere. If it is cloudyor rainy, it really sends off a bad vibe, usually resulting in aheadache. Almost the whole movie was cloudy making it not veryenjoyable. All in all, I think it had good potential, but it was notvery good.

armvn 2012-05-05 18:16:56

A great, underrated performance by Steve Carell

Steve Carell is one of my favorite comedians but this movie makes melove him even more. Dan in Real Life, from Peter Hedges, the writer ofWho's Eating Gilbert Grape and About a Boy is a real winner. With thisfilm, Carell shows that he can do a role that requires him to be morerestrained, much like his role in Little Miss Sunshine. Although he hasmade a name for himself in the American remake of the Office and The40-Year-Old Virgin, he fits perfectly in this film. Steve Carell plays the title character, Dan Burns, an advice columnistwho's been widowed for four years. He's a nice guy and a great fatherto three daughters. The only problem is that he's very overprotectivewith his daughters, especially with his two eldest daughters, Jane andCara. Jane (Allison Pill) wants to get a driver's license but Dan won'tlet her and he prevents Cara (Brittany Robertson) from seeing herboyfriend. Dan and his kids go to Rhode Island for their annual visitwith his family. During the visit, he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche)and they have a great time together. After their time together, Marietells Dan that she can't see him anymore. To make matters worse, Danfinds out that Marie is dating his brother Mitch (Dane Cook), whoinvites her to stay for the entire visit. The whole trip becomesawkward for Dan. Carell makes you root for him the whole way through.You feel for him because his character feels this strong connectionwith this woman that he hadn't felt in years. His whole family makeshim feel like the odd man out, since he is the only single personthere, with the exception of his daughters.There is some fantastic music by Sondre Lerche, a great cast, awell-written script and great direction. You must see Dan in Real Lifeif only for Carell's performance. It is also filled with sweet andtouching moments. It will be a new addition to my list of favoritemovies.

2012-05-05 07:28:23

ABOVE AVERAGE STEVE CARELL GIVES A WINNING PERFORMANCE! 3 1/2 STARS

'Dan In Real Life' is an above average romantic comedy. Steve Carell is perfectly cast as a lovable father of three growing daughters, who loses his wife and just can't seem to "get back into the dating world". By chance he meets someone special, but there's a problem, which I do not want to give away. It's much better to see it for yourself. I did enjoy this film as it deals with some interesting family issue, but I thought Dane Cook was a little out of his league, his performance isn't bad, but I just can't see him as anything, but a comedian. I watched this on a HD channel, so I do not know anything about the DVD features or quality.

2012-04-27 14:53:43

Love this film

This review is from: Dan in Real Life (DVD) I look at this disc at least 3-4 times a year. The casting and story are great and I love the local setting where I grew up. The special features section really gives you a deeper appreciation of how much fun the cast had making this picture, especially how the cast improvised and helped each other get onboard with the relationships in this story. The subtle, unobtrusive,musical contributions of the young composer are highlighted and should be seen before viewing the film to add richness to the experience. I am not a big fan of the Star's current TV Series, but his improvisation and interaction with this great cast is stunning, especially since he had extremely limited time to prepare and execute this role. I love this film.

Lemos 2012-04-27 08:46:16

Steve Carell's best role

Saw this recently on free TV, extra nice touch that it was alsobroadcast as an HD version. Why is this of an potential importance?Well, having read some of the slightly negative reviews, and having onseveral occasions nearly picked it up for home rental, nothing appearedto convince me that I needed to see it. The truth is I was pleasantlysurprised, not by the plot, the luvvy-dovy, hunky-dory cliché familyvalues portrayed on screen, or the role Juliette Binoche (albeit she isalways good to watch on screen) reprises once again. None of these. Mypersonal surprise was watching Steve Carell doing a sort ofhalf-serious role, half-comedic role. I thoroughly enjoyed the darkhumour dialogue and his portrayal of this character. Because of this,this romantic comedy rises well above many others of the same genre.Well worth watching if not just for the sheer escapism from our ownlives.

MovieDude1893 2012-04-25 13:40:34

A Surprisingly Enjoyable and Charming Comedy

Steve Carell has seemed to get over his momentary lapse in judgment(Evan Almighty)and gone back to something he can do and do extremelywell. What Carell can do is effortlessly portray a likable everyman.In 'Dan in Real Life', Carell is asked to do just that, he plays DanBurns a man who is four years removed from losing his wife, yet stillmanages to raise his three daughters and write his weekly advicecolumn. Currently, Dan is preparing to go on his family's annualweekend reunion. Meanwhile, two of Dan's three daughters are loathinghim. Meanwhile, at a local bookstore, Dan encounters the beautiful andcharming Marie (Juliette Binoche). However, she factors into Dan's lifein more ways than he thinks. The love triangle the film creates is nottreading any new ground. We know from the first sign of trouble how theevents will transpire. Nevertheless, Dan in Real Life still manages to charm its way into ourhearts because its performers are so good and its characters are notbad people. At heart they are good people, normal people. This film hasdrawn many comparisons to last year's 'The Family Stone' however Ithink that previous feature was handicapped by attempting to make itscharacters zany. Dan in Real Life allows its actors to portray realpeople. This is a welcome change for Dane Cook as Dan's brother, whodials it down to bearable in this film. This is essentially cinematiccomfort food, it tastes good as its going down and leaves you with asmile.

2012-04-24 21:20:25

Good acting, but horrible story with bad stereotype morality.

When a film preaches such drivel, it's a sad sign that so many folks love it. The moral is: if you are nuts with obsessive lust for someone and call it love, your family will get totally behind you, even if you "steal" the woman from your brother. Besides, your brother will go after the hot gal who likes you the day after you kiss his girlfriend and will somehow forge a lasting relationship and attend your wedding to his ex a few months later. I really wanted to like this film and I appreciate Dane Cook playing someone who is actually kind of nice. I'm embarrassed for Emily Blunt, with what started as a great character and becomes reduced to another script convenience. Also, it felt like the director did almost everything they could to squelch comedy. Was there a "no comedy allowed" clause? The comedy that made it in was for the most part, mean. Sure, my family makes me sleep in the laundry room and starts the dryer every night as I go to bed with nothing but a steel-toed boot in it. "This corn is like an angel" was the one funny part. Forget the shower scene.In summary, this is serious movie for those who think all problems must work out conveniently and in their favor, and with no repercussions. Reminds me of the tripe that is "He's Just Not That Into You". If you liked "Dan", see it right away for more Cinderella reassurance...

2012-04-20 20:45:30

Surprisingly, GREAT movie!

This review is from: Dan in Real Life (DVD) I didn't really know what to expect with this movie given Steve Carell's typically cast roles. This film was excellent in addressing 'life' and the perils associated with single parenting and family dynamics. I loved it.It's not a 'chic flick'. It really focuses on a real sense of family issues, personal issues and life in general.Highly recommended! A good family film.

VIPMafia 2012-04-20 10:36:55

Wasn't Expecting What I Saw

Steve Carell once again stars in a light romantic movie about choices,family and pressure. By judging on the plot and cover art of the movieI was expecting a flat-out comedy, lots of laughs and unrealisticelements, but I guess I was wrong. Sure the movie had some comedy, butit felt much more of a light Drama to me and Steve Carell once againgave a great performance. The movie itself really tackles trueobservations and that was a strong element I found. But, the endingfelt a little bit rushed and predictable. Through-out, thecinematography was great, the acting was great and the message itdelivered was obvious but yet still very important. Though, it camedown to old, flat and predictable ending. I'd reckon if differentchoices were made at the end of the movie (perhaps for the bad, even)this movie would get better publicity. Still a fun movie.