2008 Woodie Awards
Dan's the man
Nicole DeJesus
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Entertainment
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A surprising amount of well-known faces appear in the film. From the kids, to the grandparents, the cast is littered with phenomenal actors. Even comedian Dane Cook was sweetly normal.
Dan Burns (Steve Carell) is a witty advice columnist who seems to have a problem following his own rules. A widower and a father of three girls, including pre-teen Cara (Brittany Robertson) who loathes him, Dan tries his best to set a good example and keep them from harms way.
After a struggle, he drags Cara away from her boyfriend along with his other two girls to Rhode Island for the weekend. His family meets there annually to close up his parents home for the winter.
While wasting time at a book store, Burns runs into Marie (the always beautiful Juliette Binoche). It's love at first sight. Hilariously enough, she happens to be his brother's (Cook) new girlfriend.
The main portion of the movie unfolds over three days with Dan, his daughter, his love interest, and her boyfriend/his brother stuffed into a cabin. Cara, accuses him of being a "murderer of love," when in fact their situations are very relatable. He won't let her date the boy she loves, and he can't pursue the woman he loves because of his brother. The secret love quarrel and inner struggles with the loss of his wife make for a great plot line and an even better ending.
While the plot is not particularly complicated or exceptionally new,
the story unfolds in a way that feels fresh, unique, and distinctly "indie" in style. It isn't something that can easily be compared to films of the past, and has a unique take on a classic middle-aged, depressed love story.
"Dan in Real Life" is the perfect date movie, great for all ages and guarantees smiles.
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