Lars (Ryan Gosling—half nelson, the believer) is an introverted twenty-something in search of love. Unfortunately, his social contact is forced, awkward, and sometimes painful. After his fathers’ death, the family home was left to him and his brother, but he lives somewhat content in the garage. He denies invitations to dinner from his sister-in-law more often than not. The townspeople seem to adore him in spite of his odd nature.
But when a new girl begins working at his office, singing in the church choir, and making advances toward him, he takes a turn. He orders a full-size sex doll from the internet and brings her around with him. There’s an elaborate story behind her introduction. The townspeople are stunned, but eventually accept her. The story continues as Lars comes to terms with his past and takes steps toward a relatively normal life.
To his credit, Gosling is in top form. His character is dichotomous and distant, but the internal struggle is painted on his face. He does an incredible job translating the emotions and fears of Lars. That said, this film seemed inadequately paced. The second act seemed stretched and bloated. They play too often on the premise and the townspeople almost come off as malicious. They exploit Bionca (the name for the doll) and seem to be mocking Lars in their acceptance of her. With all the half-hearted jokes at the doll’s expense and the odd interplay of anthropomorphism, this one is a less twisted mix of may and guess who.
I liked it. I can understand why they stretched it so far. Lars’ transition was impressive and the many, many jokes were filler until he sorted his own self out. They were comedic relief during his arduous journey. Still, it seemed a test of how often they could reference it before I couldn’t forgive them for it. They came in just under the line, so all is forgotten. It’s a lovable movie and doesn’t stab at you with annoying spoon-fed plot twists. It’s relatively realistic and, by consequence, predictable, but as I look at it as a whole, there’s no way to avoid that.
Any awkward twist would have been absurd and an erratic ending would have fit the film like spandex fits a sumo wrestler. It’s simplicity is a strength, but Gosling made the movie. There may be other actors that could have played Lars, but Gosling made him his own. This would be best watched on a lazy evening with little on your mind.
****