Dan in Real Life

PASSING THOUGHTS
No jokes about bodily functions gone awry. No ludicrously bizarre odd-ball characters. No contrived moments designed to pull at your heart strings (and gag reflexes). No perverse relational juggling between leads who have the scruples of crack addicts in need of a fix.

Surely I couldn’t be describing a romantic comedy—not one worth watching anyway! How could love possibly be entertaining without any of those crucial elements?

I have no clue. But that don’t mean it ain’t so.
Generally, wholesome, family-oriented movies are reserved for those who are too young to know how cruel and coarse life can be. (In this day and age, I’m talking mostly about 4 and 5 year-olds.) But Dan in Real Life manages to achieve two key balances that make it easy to watch, easy to believe, and ultimately easy to appreciate.

The first feat of balance comes with the writing: the presence of a script is never in question, but the lines don’t sound scripted. It was obvious that there were intentional beats, moments and conversations that were arranged to form a coherent story, but it didn’t feel like those arrangements were forced into words or actions. The motivations came from authentic necessity, not a filmmaker’s desire to insert a joke or build suspense.

The second feat comes with what I hope will be a new breed of documentary. Documentaries are shot raw and kept raw to give the feel of authenticity. Even in rehearsed shows (like The Office) there is an effort to convey a sense of spontaneity and realism to the audience. Yet the continual shaking of the camera, the odd angles, the knee-jerk pans, and the abrupt shift in focus all come together as one big distraction, making it harder to really get into the story. You are constantly aware that there is a camera in the room, apparently manned by someone without a tripod. What Dan manages to do is give the illusion that you are a fly-on-the-wall watching the unpolished interactions of a family, without being distracted by an intentional lack of production.

Besides the balancing acts, Dan manages to put a bit of uncertainty into a genre that typically leaves very little to the imagination. Of course for a romance to be a comedy (versus a tragedy) the two leads have to find love, but oftentimes there aren’t enough obstacles in the way to make for an interesting journey. With Dan, the rival love interest isn’t some loser jerk nobody likes; it’s a brother who seems to be genuinely in love with his girlfriend. The opposition isn’t a distant antagonist and a quirky plot device, but rather an internal struggle and the nature of family.

From concept to execution, Dan in Real Life delivers the combination of humor and heart that many of us experience and can relate to in our real lives.

BASICS

Your Cup O’ Tea:
If you like subtle comedy, awkward moments, and a more realistic portrayal of relational interactions.

Steer Clear:
If you’re looking for a comedy like American Pie, 40-Year-Old-Virgin, or Good Luck Chuck.

Nothing New Under the Sun:
Has the family-oriented set-up of Meet the Parents, and Cara (Brittany Robertson) bears the resemblance of a young Rene Zellweger.

Buy or Rent:
RENT. It’s a fun movie, so it does have replay value, but more than likely you’ll want to watch it three times in as many days and then you’ll be done for awhile. It’s more of an experience, an exploration of another man’s life and family, more than a continuous stream of jokes that’ll have you in stitches time and time again.

FEATURES

-Scene Selection

-Subtitles

-Register DVD

-Just Like Family
Making of Dan in Real Life: Approx 15 minutes. For a flick like this, there’s not a whole lot to talk about in terms of effects, makeup and costumes. It’s mostly a discussion about how the movie came together and what it was like for the actors to be a part of it. Short, simple, typical. DUH! FACTOR: 7 out of 10

-Handmade Music
Creating the Score: Approx 10 minutes. A short exploration of composer Sondie Lerche and how the score came together for the film. A rather unique occurrence and a relatively thorough documentary about it, but not something that’ll pique a whole lot of interest. (A must-see if you want to figure out how to pronounce his name though.) DUH! FACTOR: 2 out of 10

-Deleted Scenes
11 total. Interestingly enough, they all seem edited as part of the finished product. The sound and picture match that of the movie, perhaps indicative of how far the clips made it before being cut. Mostly fringe scenes with little substance.

-Outtakes
Approx 3.5 minutes. Amusing but not terribly funny.

-Audio Commentary
Done by writer/director Peter Hedges.

-One More?
Easter Egg. Small compilation of more outtakes; mostly Steve Carell getting hit in the head with a football.

Woulda Been Nice: To see a section just on some of the improvised moments as well as the actors relating to each inside the house during filming.