Dan in Real Life

Saw this movie last night with a couple of friends, and I can only recommend it. I am definitely going to be buying this when it comes out on DVD.

Why? Dan in Real Life is one of those great comedies that is hilarious while at the same time being completely serious and tackling some great character issues. It's the story of - you guessed it - Dan, who is a widower struggling to raise three daughters and caught in the middle of a big family that seems to have nothing but unwelcome suggestions for him. The whole extended family goes on a vacation to the family cabin in Rhode Island, where Dan runs into Marie at a bookstore, a beautiful woman who it's clear from the get-go is the one - and who, to Dan's utter horror when he later returns to the cabin, is actually dating his brother. Add three teenage daughters and a huge, overly-intrusive family. Hilarity ensues.

It sounds like the recipe for a romantic comedy, doesn't it? And some people might characterize it that way - but I think the film shows us Dan's pain as a father and widower too clearly to fit into the stereotypical romantic comedy genre. Steve Carrell proves that he can be as serious as he is hilarious, and he does a fantastic job of communicating Dan's very real and all-consuming struggle to be a father to his daughters as well as fill the void left by his wife's death through the film's awkward situations. The film's romantic and it's a comedy, but I think it draws a distinction between the two really well and stays away from the kitschy, eye-rolling stuff.

It's definitely worth the 7 bucks at the movie theatre, so if you're looking for something to do this weekend, go check it out.