Lars and the Real Girl

My headache finally disappeared mid-movie. Hurrah!

Lars and the Real Girl was good -- sweet and interesting and more serious than you would think. It was also sort of charmingly Midwestern (takes place in Wisconsin in the winter the whole time), without being farcical. Actually, in general it was not as absurd as you would think it would be based on the plot summary. Ryan Gosling was, of course, really good, very believable in the (frankly unbelievable) role, as was the rest of the cast. I was surprised most by Paul Schneider who played Gus, Lars' brother. I just checked his IMDB profile and apparently I've seen him in two other movies (The Family Stone and All the Real Girls --yes, funnily enough). I can't remember him in them. But in this one, he was good - he was sort of quietly expressive. He had a great, little, short monologue that was the best scene in the movie. However, in general I felt like the cast was good -- the actual girl (not the "Real Girl" sex doll Bianca) who plays Lars' human love interest was kind of adorably dorky and charming.

Actually the more I think about it the more I like it. It just felt really real, and honest and small, in that good way, the way tiny gestures people make are the best things or most memorable things about them. Love is in the details, and all that. This was a loved movie, in that sense, and that's quite fitting.

The other thing that was fun about the film was the audience. I saw it with a friend from work in this tiny, tiny theatre -- there were literally about 20 seats, all filled. The audience was largely older people who giggled uncontrollably in all the funny parts, sort of in a wave of everyone laughing contagiously. I love seeing little indie movies with that kind of crowd -- I saw Waitress with a crowd like that and it made the movie. It feels so much cozier.

(On a totally shallow note, while eating dinner tonight post-movie, I watched "Gossip Girl" with Dan. I have to admit that I think the show's gotten better. I have only watched maybe four full episodes, but this one, the Thanksgiving episode, was a definite improvement on earlier eps, even with the fuzzy-pastel-faded Veronica Mars-style flashback scenes, which made me long to see more of the Gossip Girl pre-Serena making herself over for the better. Also, I just have this soft spot for the character Dan, and in another way, for Serena's mom, who I think is a much better actor than you would assume. I may have to take up watching this show again...)