Short version: Dan in Real Life is a funny, touching movie with strong pro-family messages. It's so clean you could bring the Pope to it and not be embarassed. Some of the movie is contrived and corny, but so what? So was It's a Wonderful Life and that's a classic. Dan in Real Life gets a big thumbs up from the 'Post.
Longer version: Whoa! Dan hit me right between the eyes. The lead character is almost taken from my life. As I watched it unfold, I heard dialog from my family and watched scenes from my past. It was a very loving and accurate portrayal of being a single dad, trying to make things work. The film is very strong morally and shows a side of Hollywood I hadn't seen in years.
Incidentally, in the trailers prior to the movie, there was an ad for a movie where a high school girl gets pregnant and goes through the process of deciding whether or not to give her child up for adoption. The trailer alone had a strong pro-life message, showing the girl watching sonograms and so forth. Hooray for Hollywood!
Dan lacks a villain, but does not lack a plot or a brisk pace. You can see most of the plot turns coming a mile away, but that doesn't make the movie any less enjoyable. I suppose that's a great credit to the cast, who play their parts with such energy that the whole movie is suffused with a sense of joy.
I had some nits to pick and one issue with the main character, but in retrospect, they're not worth writing. The cast and the crew gave me a fun two hours. How perfect do you have to be, anyway? The movie is worth seeing. If you go see it, stop by and let me know what you thought.
KT,
ReplyDeleteI saw Dan In Real Life with my wife, son, and his soon to be fiance. None of them liked it. Each of them felt the movie was way too predictable, slow, and sappy. Since I was expecting, slow, sappy, and predictable, I loved it. I'm right. You're right. They're wrong.
Go see Dan In Real Life and support an actual quality movie that portrays the kind of values I want in my real Real Life.