Dan in Real Life

Dan in Real Life mixes comedy with drama to make this movie an instant classic.

Dan Burns (Steve Carell) is a single father of three young girls, Jane (Alison Pill), Cara (Brittany Robertson) and Lily (Marlene Lawston). Four years previous, Dan's wife passed away and he is struggling to keep his family together.

Dan writes a parenting tips column in the local paper. however it seems that he can't take his own advice. Although he is a good father, his youngest points out that he is not a very good dad. Constantly torn between wanting to protect his children and earning their love, Dan must often say no to them, including Jane wanting to drive and Cara's love of her life, after only three weeks. Due to an annual gathering, the Burns travel to Rhode Island for the weekend to help close up Dan's parents' house, alongside the rest of the family.

Dan's family is big intrusive, and loving. After being bombarded with questions about his love life, Dan travels alone into town. While perusing a local bookstore, he runs into a beautiful woman, Marie (Juliette Binoche). Over coffee they talk, sharing and connecting, leaving Dan uplifted and surprisingly optimistic. Unfortunately, the glass soon becomes half empty, when his brother, Mitch (Dane Cook), introduces his new girlfriend, Marie, who is also staying for the weekend. Dan tries to hide his feelings from everyone, including himself. Avoidance, accidents, salsa and a blind date are just some of the obstacles that Dan must surpass to get through the weekend unscathed. In the end, Dan is torn between following his heart and putting his family first.

I really enjoyed this movie. It has a lot of different layers, so it was always changing, which kept things interesting. On top of a solid plot, about family and love, and a congenial cast, this movie combines comedy and drama in a new and remarkable way.

Dan in Real Life was very quirky and I loved the interaction between the family members. Coming from a big family myself, it felt very real to me. This movie had me laughing a lot and even crying a little. Two hilarious scenes are when Dan's family decide to make-up a song about the “pig-faced girl” he is going on a blind date with and during the date when Dan cuts loose on the dance floor.

Carell (“The Office”) was amazing. He did a great job in this serious role and I really felt like he was torn. He also usually plays the roles with the obviously, in your face comedy, however, in this movie, his comedy was much more subtle, which was refreshing.

Juliette Binoche (Chocolat), did a great job at getting the audience to fall in love with her and understand why Dan would risk it all for her. Cook (Good Luck Chuck) also did a great job in his serious role, which had very little associated comedy. Dianne Weist (Practical Magic) and John Mahoney (“Frasier”) played Dan's parents, and they were awesome. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes a warm movie about love and family and who likes to laugh and cry.

Final Words: Saw it. Loved it. Makes you appreciate your family.