Vintage

Is it time for picker upper?  Has your girl done you wrong?  Has your guy done up and left you.  This is the sort of light-hearted fare perfect to rekindle your affinity with humanity, a film that goes at great length, but with easy effort, to make you smile.  It also has the comedic distinction of aiming higher, hitting a more refined level of humor often rare in today’s increasingly flatulence-oriented cinematic efforts.  There is nobody busting ass in this film.

Steve Carell for that matter hits a high note and shows some versatility and talent along the lines of a dramedy (drama comedy) actor to be reckoned.  This is not the 40 year old virgin, okay, maybe it is but with a twist.  He is not a loser.  Nor is he totally a dweeb.  He is a normal guy, un-laid because he is a widow left to raise a trio of beautiful children, who don’t give him a break.  There is no scene where he is yelling “mother fucker” as an Asian wax specialist remove batches of chest hair from his pecs with tape.  What we have is everyday regular Joe, albeit a newspaper columnist who apparently writes relationship advice columns or something similar finding women that can make him happy again.  Isn’t that the dream of all that are between their next great romance?

The problem is that hottie shows up in Mitch’s arm as his date.  Now, the set up is set up and roll in the family talent show, singing contests, football games and every other feel good scenario that any family I ever know never did.  This is one big happy family where were it not for the depressing state of love affairs amongst the brothers and the premature death of Dan’s wife, would be the happiest bunch of assholes since the Brady Bunch.  But, tying it all together is Frazier’s Dad – you know who I mean. 
John Mahoney is the Burns’ father.  He is so good at these types of roles; I almost wish he was my own dad.  He seems to have the Lazy Boy armchair solution and wisdom to impart on all his children, though they engage in familial kerfuffle as they do.
This could easily be a ho-hum comedy. God knows the plot is merely a notch above a typical romantic comedy autopilot, but it is better than that.  How much better?  I would not say a comedy of the decade, but maybe a well done workmanlike romantic comedy consideration of the year.  Like I said, it shoots higher and hits its target.  You need comedies like this. 

Comedies like this remind us that love is not all about ridiculous Norbit plots, where oversized-snapping stereotypes lose out to the clichéd conservative cute girl, while ducking flatulence.   But, there is place for that kind of comedy too.
What truly elevates this flick are Steve Carell and Dane Cook. 

They have great chemistry as a comedic duo.  The family talent show was done just at the notch needed for this smart comedy to stay smart and charming.   Juliet Binoche as love interest in the balance is tender, thoughtful and sincerely moved by the overtures of Dan.  It all these performances, matched with great New England sets, a feel good score that is on the mark and seamless cinematography, which make Dan in Real Life a quality picture. 

The depth of Steve Carell made this film possible too. There is nothing special about the scaffolding of Dan in Real Life, which is to say the plot is not overly intriguing.  Unless of course, you think meeting a girl at book store who you like but turns out to be the girl of someone you know, is a blow-me-out-of-the-water-sort of plot.  What I am saying is the scaffolding of any movie is the plot.  Here t he scaffolding is adequate but like any great building, nobody cares albeit the scaffolding if the end result is a beautiful building. 

The end result here is a beautiful building.  Okay, maybe not that beautiful but enough to feel good about the comparison to comedies that appeal to the lesser sensibility, which appear with unfortunate greater regularity.  Dan in Real Life is the real deal.  It is the perfect flick to watch with a chick before you (with apologies to Peter Townsend)—open the door to her heart!

Matt DeReno is a managing editor of CoolFilmz.com.