Blecch. Dan in Real Life is very blah. Let me just say, I love Steve Carrell. I loved him on The Daily Show, and I adore him in The Office. But I seem to have very lukewarm feelings about all of his films. To understand Carrell's performance in Dan in Real Life , feel free to take Steve Carrell's character Michael from The Office, make him really depressed to the point of being extremely uninteresting and then put him in a very big, also uninteresting, family. Voila! Let Dan in Real Life's plot ensue.
Dan in Real Life is a family oriented film about a single dad, Dan Burns, played by Michael- oh sorry I mean Steve Carrell. Dan has three daughters and is a widower, who writes an advice column and is very lonely in his personal life. He meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) and is instantly in love with her; however, he soon finds out Marie is already in a relationship with someone else. The film revolves primarily on the extended family dynamics at a yearly family reunion/getaway in Rhode Island.
The visuals of Rhode Island are pretty and will be enjoyed on Blu-Ray. However, most of the film was shot in one location, the Rhode Island house where the family is staying. Sticking with primarily one location, gives the film a very low budget feel despite all the big name actors.
Juliette Binoche plays the romantic lead and is one of those characters that is completely un-charming. Yet, (and maybe you will know what I am talking about here) the audience is automatically supposed to believe is superbly charming just based on the fact she is Juliette Binoche. Well.... the audience isn't supposed to think this character Marie Diamond she is playing in Dan in Real Life is "all that and a bag of chips," just because Juliette used to be gorgeous and has played charming roles before in different films throughout her career. The audience isn't supposed to know that. The audience is only supposed to know about her role in this film- which is bland, fairly smug and emotionless as far as I could surmise.
And, just let me take one moment and complain about Dane Cook. Why does this guy have to be in movies? He just seems like such a massive bully and jerk. I don't think I have ever enjoyed one of his performances. I just am always distracted by what a jerk he seems like, and it literally take me away from the plot at hand. Hollywood, you don't need to hire jerks to play the jerks in movies. Its called acting- just hire someone new who may or may not be a jerk. I am sure he or she can pull off acting like a jerk in a film.
OK, otherwise, outside from my complaints with the performances in Dan in Real Life, it is just not too much of a film. The plot is extremely minimal and VERY predictable, the jokes are very few and the chemistry between the characters is completely lacking. I may have cracked a smile twice during the film, but definitely no laughing was involved.
I thought Writer/Director Peter Hedges' last film Pieces of April was charming and quirky. There was definitely no quirkiness to be seen in Dan in Real Life. It is recommended only for the most die-hard fan of family movies.
