Dan In Real Life

Dan (Steven Carrell) is a widower struggling to bring up his three daughters on his own. Particularly ironic considering his day-job is as a newspaper agony aunt on t... more >

Dan (Steven Carrell) is a widower struggling to bring up his three daughters on his own. Particularly ironic considering his day-job is as a newspaper agony aunt on the verge of national syndication. Since the death of his wife he has devoted himself to his daughters, sacrificing his personal life for their benefit, although they do not seem to appreciate it.

The all go off on their yearly Xmas family get-together, one of those all-American affairs with ridiculously extended families in a big house by a lake. At the local book shop Dan bumps into the charming Marie (Juliette Binoche) and it finally looks like he might be able to get his personal life back on track. He asks for her number and she gives it to him with a warning “It’s complicated; I’ve just starting seeing someone”. How complicated becomes clear when he returns to the family lodge and is introduced to his brother’s new girlfriend…

This is a surprisingly charming film directed by Peter Hedges (he directed Pieces of April and wrote What’s Eating Gilbert Grape). This is not an out and out comedy, although it will probably be marketed as a Meet the Parents-a-like. A better comparison would be Sideways as it shares the drama feel with the comedy coming from the situations rather than the jokes.

People may be put off by the thought of Steve Carrell, but he is excellent as the down-trodden, conflicted Dan (although this will be no surprise to aficionados of the US version of The Office). The casting of Juliette Binoche will certainly attract attention and most of the supporting roles are recognisable faces and names, with Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney playing Mum and Dad. < less

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Film Details

Cast

Juliette Binoche, Steve Carell, Dane Cook

Technical Details

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