One of the year's true sleepers, filmmaker Craig Gillespie's delightfully offbeat Lars and the Real Girl has enough warmth and charm for three movies, powered by a terrific star turn from Ryan Gosling as painfully shy and lonely Lars Lindstrom, whose mother died during childbirth and father recently passed away. Lars, who cannot stand to be touched, is outwardly functional, but as the film gets underway, he withdraws into a fantasy world, presenting a lifelike sex doll that he bought over the Internet as his new girlfriend. Everybody in the unnamed northern small town loves Lars, and on the advice of his doctor (Patricia Clarkson) the people play along, welcoming “Bianca” and including “her” in social activities. Gosling, easily one of the most interesting actors of his generation, goes out on a limb to make a potentially off-putting character not only vulnerable, but also endearing, and he receives solid support from the film's three top female players: Clarkson, Emily Mortimer (as his devoted sister-in-law), and Kelli Garner (as a coworker who cares for him). An incredibly sweet, warm, and loving tribute to the friendship and compassion common to tiny close-knit communities—penned by Oscar nominee Nancy Oliver—Lars and the Real Girl is a small gem. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include “The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl” behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), “A Real Leading Lady” segment on the film's doll (6 min.), a brief deleted scene, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for one of 2007's more offbeat films.] (E. Hulse)[Blu-ray Review—May 24, 2011—MGM, 107 min., PG-13, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2007's Lars and the Real Girl features a so-so transfer with DTS-HD sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to the standard DVD release, including “The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl” behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), “A Real Leading Lady” segment on the film's doll (6 min.), a brief deleted scene, and trailers. Bottom line: an unremarkable Blu-ray debut for a sweet sleeper.]
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