Dan In Real Life

[MacGuffin]

Trailer here.

Release Date: October 12th, 2007 (limited) 

Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson

Directed by: Peter Hedges (Pieces Of April)

Premise: A widower with three daughters, who writes a parenting column for his local newspaper, has his strict rules for behavior tested when he falls for the girlfriend of his younger brother.

[Pubrick]

the same thing happened in arrested development in those first few episodes before it jumped the shark and replaced marta with a total minger. this time it's one of the brothers who's miscast. would be great if "Dan in Real Life" realises that DANE in real life doesn't deserve anyone as good as juliette binoche and elopes with her by the second act, like the whole audience should be thinking.

also, a better title would be Dan Docile. as a reflection of his character and a reference to Dan Savage whose bizarro equivalent the movie is subconsciously based on. EDIT: and suddenly the "everybody poops" joke goes from good to BRILLIANT.

[bonanzataz]

my roommate interned on this movie (most of the action takes place in his parents' house. they let them shoot there if he was allowed a job!). i had, like, five copies of the script lying around. i was never able to finish it, it's pretty fuckin' cheesy.

[Ravi]

Sucks.

[ponceludon]

I am so torn. I love Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape has got to be one of the best books ever written) and I think he's a pretty good screenwriter and director, based on Pieces of April which was sweet and interesting and had good character development. About A Boy was also very well written. This should be good, right?

Why does it seem crappy? Is it because Juliette Binoche is a terribly flat actress, or because of Dane Cook's obvious suckitude? Is it because GOD HELP US it's another movie where a guy falls off of a roof in a comedic setting and doesn't get horribly hurt but rather becomes more endearing to everyone around him? Is it because this is 10 Things I Hate About You from the adults' perspective but without all the Shakespeare? Possibly because Steve Carell's role could be played by Ben Stiller, if his role is a combination of Chas Tenenbaum and the Focker guy, which it appears to be.

I don't know, but I'll see it anyway.

[ponceludon]

Juliette Binoche is a terribly flat actress

Dear lord, do you really believe this?  Heresy!

I do believe this. Besides the cute Frenchness, which I am immune to (being French myself), she is bland, and really does not have an impressive range. She does mildly concerned to mildly peeved pretty well.

[Ravi]

Possibly because Steve Carell's role could be played by Ben Stiller, if his role is a combination of Chas Tenenbaum and the Focker guy, which it appears to be.

I never thought about it, but Carell could be the new Ben Stiller.  He'll squander whatever good will he's generated by acting in one crappy movie after another, leaving us wondering just why we liked him in the first place.

[pumba]

What a huge piece of shit this movie is. Dane Cook should have a restraining order from a camera. I havn't seen anything Hedges has done prior to this, but this is a cheesy, boring, cliche, cheesy, fuckin waste of time. I heard some critics saying it was 'good' on the way out, which BLEW my fuckin' mind out my skull. Also I over heard this one guy saying 'that was great, it reminded me alot of Little Miss Sunshine!". blech.

* There's also an unexplained token Chinese kid in a white suburban family.

[MacGuffin]

Juliette Binoche is a terribly flat actress

Dear lord, do you really believe this?  Heresy!

I do believe this. Besides the cute Frenchness, which I am immune to (being French myself), she is bland, and really does not have an impressive range. She does mildly concerned to mildly peeved pretty well.

Leave Juliette Alone!!!

[Kal]

This was actually really good. Steve Carrell is great, and the story develops really well. It's funny and touching and well written.

[pumba]

This was actually really good. Steve Carrell is great, and the story develops really well. It's funny and touching and well written.

No.

[Kal]

This was actually really good. Steve Carrell is great, and the story develops really well. It's funny and touching and well written.

No.

what the fuck u know?

[john]

There are a few nice moments in this, but mostly you're just swimming through the sitcom syrup for them.

It may also be a candidate for the most disingenuous ending of the year

Which is a shame because Peter Hedges is a smart enough writer and should know better... or, at least know how to manipulate the audiences better. I can go along with some contrived, happy-go-lucky shit if you at least present it to me well enough... earn it a little bit.

[NEON MERCURY]

This was actually really good. Steve Carrell is great, and the story develops really well. It's funny and touching and well written.

No.

what the fuck u know?

why r u so mean to peoplee  ... 

[SiliasRuby]

So, I saw this. Really amazing and sweet. All the moments felt honest and real. The silences between the characters really make this film. Dane Cook does another great job. Very Very well written and Steve really goes for the gold here. A performance that really comes through for me. The family was big but not too big you didn't get an idea of who they were. You really did. I laughed out loud more than a couple of times and it didn't seem to sappy to me at all.