Lars and The Real Girl is a softly spoken, melancholic indy comedy that takes a Carry-On film plot and turns it into a mature and poignant story.
Ryan Gosling stars as Lars, a small-town lad so shy that his only solution to loneliness is to buy a lovedoll and introduce her to the whole town as his girlfriend, 'Bianca'. Concerned for his sanity, the kind townsfolk play along with his delusion and in the process the pseudo-relationship acquires real meaning.
The film steers clear of easy, smutty laughs and instead builds a touching web of relationships between its many characters while providing gentle laughs through a string of clever one liners and simple visual gags. Strong performances from the entire cast, particularly Gosling and Emily Mortimer, mean that you not only accept the contrived premise but begin to believe in it wholeheartedly.
A good natured film about good natured people, Lars and the Real Girl is highly recommended.
