Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Comedy, Drama

Director: Craig Gillespie
Writer: Nancy Oliver
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, R.D. Reid

"The search for true love begins outside the box."

One of Ryan Gosling more unusual roles. Lars, a shy and introverted twenty-something who can barely stand the touch of another human being, including his family, develops a romantic relationship with an anatomically correct sex doll named Bianca, that he buys off a website. He introduces his new girlfriend, to his brother and his sister-in-law and to his co-workers, as a paraplegic missionary of Brazilian and Danish descent, and he starts taking her along almost everywhere he goes. Pretty soon, the whole small-town community, including Margo a co-worker who harbors a not-so-secret crush on him, gets to know Bianca and ends up treating her the way Lars does.

Written by Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under) and directed by Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock), Lars and the Real Girl is an examination of compassion and love for an emotionally injured young man by the people around him, reminding us that caring for each other is still a highly regarded value.

It's a film that is really hard to recommend to someone without sounding ridiculous, considering its premise, but it's one that should absolutely be recommended and watched nonetheless.

Plot summary from IMDb: In this comedy, Lars Lindstrom is an awkwardly shy young man in a small northern town who finally brings home the girl of his dreams to his brother and sister-in-law's home. The only problem is that she's not real - she's a sex doll Lars ordered off the Internet. But sex is not what Lars has in mind, but rather a deep, meaningful relationship. His sister-in-law is worried for him, his brother thinks he's nuts, but eventually the entire town goes along with his delusion in support of this sweet natured boy that they've always loved.

Awards: Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 28 nominations.
Runtime: 106 min
PG-13