Dan in Real Life

Okay, I like Steve Carell. So I was all set to like this movie... I mean really like it. I think he's an incredibly subtle comedian who can manage to humanize situations that are amazingly uncomfortable because they seem so authentic. He's also pretty cute in an EveryGuy sort of way. So a romantic comedy with some terrific co-stars (even if the love interest seems miscast) ... it just sounded like a recipe for a warm fuzzy evening. So how come I didn't like it?

Carell is Dan, the widowed dad to three precocious girls and an "expert on relationships" by virtue of writing an advice column. Our story starts as Dan and daughters head out to an extended family vacation - I mean the big 'Family as Imagined in Hollywood' type of thing - with brothers and spouses and cousins and Mom and Pop all doing crosswords, and charades and aerobics in the morning together. When ordered out from underneath every one's feet, he runs into the girl of his dreams in a bookstore. Too bad when she arrives at the family home for the vacation and turns out to be dating Dan's bro. Poor Dan.

Okay, so you know this is all going to turn out for the best, but it's a pretty miserable ride there. Carell does his angst/jealousy/trying to do the right thing best, Julliette Binoche (?) seems alternately insensitive and confused, and the rest of the clan (with outstanding actors like Dianne Wiest, John Mahoney, Dane Cook and Emily Blunt) are just nosy, noisy and self involved. In the end, I just felt sorry for this long suffering doormat of the family. Sure, there were some funny moments.... just not enough to justify the pain. If you still want more, the website is here.

Thesis

It has been suggested that Alenjandro Amenabar is one of the best things to come out of Spain since paella. I have to admit that I found his direction of The Others incredibly gifted... particularly since he was working in a foreign language. To truly appreciate his talent, however, you will need to check out some of his Spanish work. Thesis is a nifty, creepy place to start.

Angela (Ana Torrent, recently Katherine in The Other Boleyn Girl) is an undergrad on a deadline. Her thesis is on violence in film, whether it's ethical to exploit it and why death and mayhem is always so fascinating. This leads to the acquisition of a videotape that apparently records the horrific murder of a former student of the university... and a private investigation - who killed her and who recorded the deed. Enter Chema (Fele Martinez) another film student with his own fascination with violence, and handsome, charming Bosco (Eduardo Noriega, yum!) who seems unnaturally fascinated with Angela. So who's next for a screen test?

Amenabar does a fine job in weaving in a lot of repressed sexuality, and Torrent is fabulous at maintaining a dance of obsession and terror. But the real fun comes from a constant jumpiness that builds throughout the film. By the time you know she's in real trouble, you're just as frightened as our heroine. Down to your last match in a dark basement.... See another review here.