Dan in Real Life (2007)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Peter Hedges

Writers (WGA):

Pierce Gardner (written by) and
Peter Hedges (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Something's happening to Dan. It's confusing. It's awkward. It's family.

Plot:

A widower finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's girlfriend.

Plot Keywords:

Widower | Bookstore | Love | Vacation | Shore

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Steve Carell	...	Dan Burns
Juliette Binoche	...	Marie
Dane Cook	...	Mitch Burns
Alison Pill	...	Jane Burns
Brittany Robertson	...	Cara Burns
Marlene Lawston	...	Lilly Burns
Dianne Wiest	...	Nana
John Mahoney	...	Poppy
Norbert Leo Butz	...	Clay
Amy Ryan	...	Eileen
Jessica Hecht	...	Amy
Frank Wood	...	Howard
Henry Miller	...	Will
Ella Miller	...	Rachel
Cameron 'C.J.' Adams	...	Elliott

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some innuendo.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:GP | Singapore:PG | Ireland:PG | Malaysia:U | Australia:PG | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIA | South Korea:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43598) | Germany:o.Al. | Sweden:Btl | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:6 | Finland:K-7 | Argentina:Atp | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

New Jersey, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

Largely based on co-writer Pierce Gardner's personal experiences on years going to summer vacations at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with his wife's extended family.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: At the end of the movie the family is seen driving back from New England to New York City. Their car travels west over the Queensboro Bridge from Queens into Manhattan. It makes very little sense to ever enter Queens when coming from New England if traveling into Manhattan. The Triboro Bridge (now called the RFK Bridge) which takes you from the Bronx to Queens can also take you to Manhattan. Entering Queens would make the trip longer and cause you to pay an extra toll.

Quotes:

Marie: That's sweet.
Dan Burns: How is that sweet?
Marie: To be that certain, to feel that much love.
Dan Burns: Love isn't a feeling?
Marie: No?
Dan Burns: It's an ability.
Marie: Well, if that's true, then you have one gifted daughter.

Movie Connections:

References A Few Good Men (1992)

Soundtrack:

September '99

Dan in Real Life is Simply Awesome. Steve Carrell is sweetly normal. Juliette Binoche is perfect.

I loved "Dan in Real Life". A wonderful journey-to-love story like You've Got Mail or While You Were Sleeping, but not ridiculously full of sight gags and crude jokes, and not so romantic it makes you wanna throw up.

Dan Burns (Steven Carrell) is a popular advice columnist who can't seem to get things in his own life straightened out. Until one day, on a family gathering/trip, he meets and instantly connects with Marie (the always beautiful Juliette Binoche)a radiant specimen of a woman who seems to be framed in a hazy filter hearkening back to the starlets of classic cinema. Chemistry happens over a cup of tea and muffin, but Marie must be off for a previous engagement, and they must part ways.

Later we are treated to Dan's tight-knit, fun-loving relatives who not only have big breakfasts together but also enjoy using the intelligent and sweetly dorky Dan as the butt of many bachelor jokes. What I liked so much was that although the family's characteristics could be seen as obnoxious to some, I thought it was a great portrayal of a big family that doesn't venture into parody or crude exaggeration. The Burns family is simply a close, loving group of people who are truly interested in the best for Dan. There are wonderfully awkward family moments that aren't unrealistic. The family is nosey, but never mean-spirited or gossipy; quirky, but never outlandish.

And then Dan falls in love with his brother's girlfriend he's brought to the family gathering. And thus begins a roller-coaster of restrained longing and funny love-budding.

I could go on but I just thought this movie was simply awesome. It's not particularly "hip" or "clever", never too wordy and obsessed with dry humor or biting wit as many comedies are in modern cinema. There is a nice balance of storytelling visuals and funny-but-real dialogue. in fact, early in the movie, the initial spark of love begins with whimsical discussion in a classic Hollywood-style conversation where the characters say what they're thinking out loud.

So I've probably rambled and repeated myself, but I highly recommend "Dan in Real Life". It's a great date movie, trust me, you'll laugh, and only if you're a geek like me you'll get a bit teary-eyed. Filled with fun and magical love, "Dan in Real Life" won't disappoint.

=================== 3.5 out of 4 stars Grade: A