Dan In Real Life

[modage]

Dane Cook does another great job.

[matt35mm]

Dane Cook does another great job.

The first being those World Series commercials.

[Gold Trumpet]

Dane Cook did a really good job in Mr. Brooks. He was the weaker, dumber offset to Costner and Hurt's characters. Not only did he show those basic qualities, but he layered his performance. His character was trying to be manipulative and get off on his own power trip, but utterly failed. The layering in his performance has to do with capturing the delicate balance between cruel and chauvanistic with weak and stupid. Cook may have actually done the best acting job of all the actors in the film so I don't doubt he couldn't be good in this film either.

His basic personality on the comedy tour is dislikable, I grant you that. But I think he's talented.

[pumba]

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.

I like this guy.

[MacGuffin]

"Plan to be surprised."

And that's exactly what this film did to me. I throughly enjoyed it overall. Sure it has a few sit-com like moments, but the character of Dan and the situation of wanting what you can't have brings something anyone can identify with and elevates the material. Dane Cook isn't distracting in this, and, in fact, I'm glad his character isn't the cliched loser boyfriend where you right off the bat wonder what she's doing with him. All the characters felt like a family and each one had an identity.

[pete]

Usually this type of the movie requires the audience to really fall for the actress in order for them to go through the heartbreak with the hero.  But in the case of this film, the situations feel awkward enough that you just have to sympathize with him, then it hammers away, and, as contrived as those predicaments may be (stuck in a shower or a double date), they certainly don't stray from their purpose very often, and sooner or later, you have a real real wounded and vulnerable underdog.  In movies like such, you can't really ask for more.  I thought Carrell did a fine job, but I didn't even think it was exceptional.  None of the actors chewed it up as much as they could have, but the hammering away of the heartaches became evocative enough that in the end, good enough acting is all you need.
God bless him, but Steve Carrell is a poorman's Jim Carey.