"Lars and the Real Girl" not as weird as it seems

By John DeFore

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - With an outrageous premise that proves to be less extreme than it sounds, "Lars and the Real Girl" emerges as a deep, sweet-hearted study not only of one lonely character but also of the community that supports him. A small but passionate following is assured; smart marketing that sells the film for what it is could make it a niche favorite.

Ryan Gosling stretches himself further here as Lars, a 27-year-old who has slowly, for no evident reason, retreated into a shell. Attention from others scares him; physical contact is literally painful.

When a porn-loving co-worker casually mentions the Real Doll, a realistic, anatomically correct silicone mannequin sold as a sex toy, Lars covertly orders one -- then surprises viewers by using it not for its intended purpose, but as a public stand-in for the girlfriend everyone thinks he ought to have.

The introduction is riotously awkward, with Lars bringing "Bianca" to dinner at his brother and sister-in-law's house. They're predictably disturbed, but the town doctor-psychologist (Patricia Clarkson) convinces them that there's nothing to gain, and much to lose, from telling a delusional patient his mind's creation isn't real.

Astonishingly, the family convinces other members of this small, ice-bound community to accept Lars' imaginary friend. Shades of "Harvey," people extend to Bianca the goodwill they have for Lars, a gentle man whose life just hasn't been working out. They give Bianca jobs and involve her in social activities that conveniently give Lars time away from her; in one uproarious moment, we see the sex toy propped up in a classroom, "reading" a storybook to rapt children via a cassette player.

Paul Schneider (in his second film involving "Real Girls") is a standout as older brother Gus, who left an unpleasant home as quickly as he could and now suspects that Lars would be less damaged if he'd stuck around. Schneider's confusion, his struggle to do the right thing despite fearing that Lars is a hopeless case, is in its way as affecting as the more internal struggle Gosling has to convey.

Gosling's job is the harder one, though, and he manages to depict Lars' impairment without turning it into an ingratiating "affliction" performance. He supplies most of the movie's edge in scenes where some part of Lars is aware that he's around people who think he's insane.

But those situations grow rare quickly in a film where even Gus' burly co-workers start to quiz him, sincerely, about the distinction between hallucinations and delusions. (Showing that he cares enough to do his homework, Gus offers that one is "false perception" and another "false belief.")