Dan in Real Life
Lissa Coffey
Grade: A-
| Steve Carell stars in the title role in “Dan in Real Life,” an adult romantic comedy, emphasis on the comedy. This is not a teen comedy, with bathroom jokes and lowball humor. This one is smart, and witty and sweet and off-beat all at the same time. Dan is a widower, on a weekend visit to the parents lake home with his whole family – brothers, sisters, assorted nieces and nephews and his 3 daughters. Many of the laughs come from daughter number 2, a typical drama queen teen in love. Juliette Binoche plays Marie, Dan’s love interest, who also happens to be his brother’s girlfriend. A nice little conflict that plays on different levels.
The audience was a mix of date night couples and older teens who are Steve Carell fans. The movie actually got applause at the end. I loved it! No sex scenes, no violence, no swearing, just lots of good writing and acting – quite refreshing! |