Dan in Real Life (2007) January 10, 2008
Posted by gproject in : Cinema, Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Peter Hedges
Peter Hedges’ debut film Pieces of April was a quirky family comedy about resolving your differences and the conflicts that occur between parents and children. His new film, Dan in Real Life, is a family comedy about resolving your differences and the conflicts that occur between parents and children. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration of similarity, but there are plenty of thematic comparisons to be drawn between the two, not least the idea that family can be your greatest comfort and also your biggest headache.
Dan Burns is a widowed single parent with three daughters who he dedicates himself to alongside his job as a newspaper advice columnist. When the whole family get together at Dan’s parent’s house, however, his usual closed policy on love is changed through a chance encounter with a woman named Marie. Returning home to relate this news to the family, Dan is devastated to discover that Marie is also in town for a specific reason - as his brother Mitch’s girlfriend. Forced to spend the week together, Dan juggles the awkward situation along with a staunch denial that his daughters are growing up.
These films can often be difficult to get right in terms of tone, sometimes straying too far into romantic idealism, or getting worked up with a misguided sense of drama. The dramedy, as it is known, may be a combination genre designed to offer a light-hearted look at life, but too much of either element can have a hugely detrimental effect on the final product. The good news is that with this film, director Peter Hedges has walked that tightrope very smartly, producing a film that is as wryly funny as it is emotionally engaging. If that were all there was to say, then the movie would be an outright accomplishment of ambience, but naturally, there are plenty of other factors to contend with.
The other success story of the film is actor Steve Carell, who holds the lead role with charm and an acute sense of low-key comedy. This is not the first time we’ve seen him play in this arena, of course, with his acclaimed role in the fantastic (and in some ways, similar) Little Miss Sunshine [review] providing a doorway to these more meaningful comic roles that show off his talents as an actor, rather than just as a straight comedian. Despite some less-than-successful brushes with the Hollywood mainstream (Bewitched and last year’s Evan Almighty spring to mind) he is someone clearly not content to settle for the rather one-note careers of his contemporaries like Ben Stiller or Adam Sandler. So far, he’s proving himself to be one of the most adaptive comic actors in his field.
There are others who shine here too, including Juliette Binoche as Marie, the apex of the film’s awkward love triangle. I was a little unsure about her character the first time we meet her, and you might say that she’s written a little too ‘perfect’, but as is the nature of these things and Juliette’s performance helps you warm to her over time. Also excellent are Dan’s three daughters, played by Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson and Marlene Lawston. They all get a little chance to prove their worth over the course of the story and do so with great commitment and depth. Heading up the family are Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney as the caring grandparents and, who would’ve guessed it – there’s even a good role for Dane Cook!
The script comes from a fairly inexperienced writer, Pierce Gardner, alongside the director himself who already has a few writing credits to his name. The result is a script with some great dialogue and characters, that sometimes plays on the side of the obvious (both in jokes and plotlines) but never stops being entertaining. As much as Steve Carell and the rest of the cast bring these parts to life, there are some fine moments that were clearly script lead (like Dan’s ill-fated morning outing with the family youngsters) and should be recognised as such. This leads to a bit of shock then, when some scenes suddenly appear that seem wildly out of place – most notably one which includes the entire family singing a rather nasty song about Dan’s forced blind date.
As well as this, the ending follows a dangerously orthodox route and makes little effort to do anything with the standard scenes of ‘wrapping it up’ – Dan’s three daughters get their various moments of validation, as does his brother and anyone else left hanging by the story. This puts a mild taint on an otherwise nicely pitched piece of work, but by no means destroys its value entirely. At its best, the film is a subtle and delicate comedy with a warm romantic angle, and at its worst, a slightly melodramatic tale of awkward relationships and family bonds.
I guess where Pieces of April was slightly dark and biting, Dan in Real Life takes the same sensibility and lightens the tone with a romance-lead plotline and a family-friendly certificate. It’s a rare example of taking the edge off without losing the appeal of the film; in fact, this particular story probably works better because of it. Even with the brief lapses into melodrama and some misjudged scenes, the overall result is a warm-hearted piece of dramedy that will please adults much more than children, but is suitable for everyone. It’s refreshing to see a comedy about family that doesn’t rely on dysfunction as a crux, but if you like those kinds of movies then Dan in Real Life holds plenty for you to enjoy. And even if you don’t, take Dan’s advice: plan to be surprised.
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