Lars And The Real Girl Review

Lars And The Real Girl was written by Nancy Oliver and directed by Craig Gillespie. The film was released by MGM in 2007.
This movie was a definite heart-wrencher. Interesting devices used in this film were no big name actors, having a anatomically correct sex doll, and though the sex doll was in it, they never pushed anything raunchy or perverse other than a few very mild jokes.
The audience for this film is synonymous to the rating. People under the age of at least thirteen would probably be quite confused by the film.
The lifestyles of this film are very peculiar. There's a socially inept, shy, lonely Lars who feels a burning sensation when he engages in physical contact with others. It's all pyschological but it still is worrisome. So he ends up ordering a sex doll, though not for sex but for a relationship, and being a good Christian, he sleeps in a different room from the doll. It's really sad and sweet at the same time, in a weird sort of way.
The purpose of this film was to show that tolerance is a key factor in living with people who are different. His brother tries to tell him that the doll isn't real. But it's as if Lars doesn't even hear his brother. And once everyone in town understands about the situation and adapts to it, everything runs smoothly. Even when the doll is "dying" and eventually is "dead," the whole town mourns it because though she wasn't technically real, she became almost as real to them as to Lars.
I didn't really see God in this film other than the God-like attributes the townspeople showed to Lars. They treated him with respect and kindness throughout. And because Bianca was real to Lars, she really became "the Real Girl."
Though strange and very heart-wrenching at times, this film was enjoyable.

Andrew Cortez