DAN IN REAL LIFE

Directed by: Peter Hedges Written by: Peter Hedges, Pierce Gardner Cast: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook Music by: Sondre Lerche Cinematography by: Lawrence Sher Dan In Real Life is a romantic comedy-drama about Dan, a widower played by Steve Carell, who takes his three daughter along to an annual family gathering at his parents house where he meets an amazing woman named Marie (Juliette Binoche) who rekindles his lost emotional side that had been buried beneath his devotion to his daughters since the death of his wife. However, things aren't that simple - Marie is already in a relationship, and Dan faces an uphill struggle with internal and external obstacles to know for sure whether it is meant to be. Sound contrived? It is. I'm not a fan of romantic comedies but there were a few names attached to this movie that gave me a little hope (for those of you wondering, Dane Cook wasn't one of them). Peter Hedges, the director and co-writer, wrote the novel that would later be converted into the moody and sensitive What's Eating Gilbert Grape, as well as adapting the screenplay for About A Boy, a fine pedigree there I'm sure you'll agree. Co-writer Pierce Gardner has said that the script is partially built around his own experiences of family gatherings in his youth, so we have some validity to bring to the table there you'd think. Now forgive me if I'm being aggressive or overly harsh with this line of thought but if you're an experienced writer of novels, plays and scripts working with somebody on an idea close to their own life experiences then surely it is beyond belief that the result is a contrived and predictable plot, populated with two-dimensional and frankly uninteresting characters who individually represent little more than barely concealed metaphors for 'important ingredients for a well-rounded family life', and who simply serve to 'educate' the main character who has lost his way. A good film of this genre should take characters and put them into situations which allow the exploration of particular emotions and experiences, not use them to bludgeon a basic point home. With these bland creations, the stellar cast are truly given little to work with. Carell's Dan is a mundane newspaper columnist whose dedication to, and to some degree smothering of, his daughters reveals a growing inner tension that has been building up inside since the death of his wife. In this short line we already have the plot mapped out for us: his daughters need to be allowed to breath, and when this happens they will reveal themselves to be the intelligent, sensitive and grown up people he wanted them to be, and will help him as he overcomes his pent up grief and learns to love once more. There are no unpredictable twists or intriguing nuances to the plot. His love interest Marie doesn't give Binoche much of a chance to shine either. In fact, Binoche's superb talents serve more to highlight the one dimension of 'flawless brilliance' with which Marie is imbued, and within which there is no more than a hint of more interesting facets to her personality for us to become engaged with. Perhaps the worst thing in the film is its partaking of one of few trends in film-making as insufferable as recycling old material in their films: composing a script about some sort of writer. The Nines, The Darjeeling Limited and Margot At The Wedding are further examples of scriptwriters sticking to what they know by infusing their own profession into their lead characters. If these people are so insecure about their own creativity and ability to observe and empathise with contemporary humanity then perhaps they are in the wrong job. In fact, putting my ranting aside momentarily, I am actually rather concerned for the mental health of the two writers: titling the film Dan IN REAL LIFE raises some serious questions about their perception if reality. I think somebody needs to gently suggest that perhaps they are a little too deeply involved in the art of screenwriting to understand that reality is far from the simple, lighthearted, banal and secure world we are shown in this film. If you like to vegetate in front of a simple feel-good movie you may nonetheless be able to cope, at least better than I did! The mood is nothing if not consistent in its middle-class playfulness, and it was tied together by a bouncy and affective soundtrack. There were even one or two moments which allowed Binoche to humanise Marie to a likable level, as well as a couple which freed Carell to unleash some of his masterfully quirky visual comedy, but such moments were regrettably sparse and easy to spot approaching in the humdrum plot progression. Overall Dan In Real Life amounts to an easy cinematic experience rattled off the production line as a quick fix of light-hearted family fun. Trying to make the film appear more meaningful than it is has only exposed its blandness to everyone but the well-off middle-Americans whose cosy lifestyle (I can only assume from the backgrounds of the writers) this imitates. So, those of you who fall into that demographic can ignore my rating, for the rest of you - I suggest you don't bother with this film: it's not funny, it's not clever and, for most of us, it is definitely not 'real life'.

rating: 2

Dan In Real Life is out in the UK on 11th January 2008