Lars And The Real Girl

This isn't your average guy with a sex doll movie. In fact this might be as far away from that as you can get.

Ryan Gossling plays Lars Lindstrom, a painfully shy man who feels agony when touched by a real person battles his intense loneliness by purchasing a top of the line real doll named Bianca. At first his brother and sister in law don't know what to make of it but play along as Lars creates an elaborate back story for Bianca.

They take Bianca to the doctor with Lars under the guise of having her checked out. The compassionate doctor plays along while attempting to treat Lars. Next stop is the church. Lars is a spiritual person and attends church on a regular basis. The brother and sister in law approach his pastor to ask for guidance and after talking with the church elders they agree to play along as well which leads to the entire town pitching in to help Lars and his harmless delusion.

Before long Bianca is volunteering for a hospital shift and modeling clothes at a local store.

This is one of the most original, heartfelt movies I have seen since The Straight Story which you long time readers will recognize as one of my perfect movies. This is a positive movie which despite its strange subject material on the surface, has a wonderful story full of compassion, hope, and kindness. Yes those of you who know me well enough to know me will know that I got misty during this movie as the layers are gently peeled away to reveal Lars' character and how he learns what living is about.

It is a very moving story about how much a town pulls together to care for and love a man. Ryan Gossling gives the performance of a career here in this gem of a movie.