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Today’s recommendation is for Lars and the Real Girl (2007), streaming on Prime Video, an off-kilter feel-good dramedy that gives us a much-needed lesson in community, empathy, and how to cope in difficult times.
Directed by Craig Gillespie // ⏱ 106 mins // 🎭 Dramedy
Here’s what it’s about:
Lars (Gosling) is a quirky, if not socially awkward, small-towner who lives in his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law Karin’s (Emily Mortimer) garage. Despite their consistent attempts to connect with him Lars never reciprocates, so when he gets a girlfriend they’re ecstatic. That’s until they realize his girlfriend is a highly realistic sex doll named Bianca that he thinks is a real person. [Trailer]
Why you should watch it:
While Ryan Gosling has (unfair) movie star looks, he’s best as a character actor. His greatest roles are the ones where he gets to dive into the idiosyncrasies of the character and be weird. In Lars and the Real Girl, he takes a role that could have easily been played for laughs and finds humanity in him — it’s a career-high performance.
Director Craig Gillespie gives the story just as much of a push as it needs. Despite the ridiculous premise, there’s a melancholic undertone that balances the humor and the sweetness in the script. Without much goading you find yourself rooting for Lars and the people around him. Empathy, community, and trauma are all explored without the heavy-handedness that some small-town dramedies find. It’s a pitch-perfect feel-good film.
📺 Buy or Rent: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
Three more movies to watch
Ryan Gosling movies
While we’re all social distancing, I’m going to give you a few more movie recommendations every week that aren’t available for streaming for you to watch.
Today’s recommendations all star Ryan Gosling.
👨🏼 The Nice Guys (2016): Coincidentally, Gosling’s other best role is in The Nice Guys where he also dons a mustache — albeit more ridiculous. This 70s crime-comedy send-up from Shane Black features hilarious physical comedy, a ridiculously camp plot, and a buddy cop duo for the ages. [Trailer]
📺 Buy or rent: Prime Video // iTunes // YouTube
📹 Blade Runner 2049 (2017): The original Blade Runner, particularly the “Final Cut” edition, is one of my favorite movies of all time. However, Denis Villeneuve’s sequel captures the spirit of that film while infusing it with his own auteurism that is equal parts technically impressive and thematically beautiful. [Trailer]
📺 Buy or rent: Prime Video // iTunes // YouTube
🌒 First Man (2018): Playing Neil Armstrong is a daunting task as one of our nation’s unimpeached heroes. But Gosling’s portrayal brings him down to Earth and grounds him in Damien Chazelle’s quiet character study that focuses less on the how and more on the why of Armstrong’s journey to the moon. [Trailer]
📺 Buy: Prime Video // iTunes // YouTube
That’s all for today. Stay safe, look out for each other, and find ways to pass the time!
See you Thursday!
Karl (@karl_delo)