Movie Review: Lars and the Real Girl

Tonight my friends Dave and Jenn came over. It was great to host people at my house, which is something I don't get to do often enough since I came to LA, but which I love doing. I made an appetizer with figs and gorgonzola (recipe coming to you soon, Candice!) and apple pecan pinwheels for dessert (outstanding). They brought the salad, pop, and ice cream and we ordered pizza. OK, yes, that sounds like a lot of food and it was!

Anyway, this post is really less about the food than it is about the movie we watched "Lars and the Real Girl."

When this movie came out in 2007, I wasn't really sure about the premise and if I wanted to see it. When my friend Laura visited in September she mentioned it to me and told me how it was a little bit odd, but that she loved it and thought I would too. At her recommendation, I cued it up in my Netflix and waited anxiously for it to arrive. Unfortunately, it arrived the afternoon I left for the conference in Vancouver, and so I didn't get a chance to watch it until tonight!
* special note... I just spoke with Laura today and she said it was NOT her who recommended that movie to me... so if you recommended it, and you read this blog, then speak up...otherwise, we'll pretend it was Laura for now.
* reference Sarah's comment below - it was totally Sarah that recommended it. Thanks for the rec, Sarah!

Its hard for me to know how much to share with you about the plot, so I'll try to give you a little bit without giving too much away. Essentially, Lars is lonely. He ends up buying a life-sized "Love Doll" over the internet and treats her as though she is his girlfriend. Bianca, his "girlfriend," becomes a part of the community and helps Lars make connections with his family and friends. Its a touching movie about love and loss.

So much about this movie really connected with me. Its no secret that since coming to LA, I have been exceedingly lonely and that the loneliness is sometimes intensified as I celebrate the marriages and pregancies of my friends. I long for connection with people that I don't really have here, and that's been hard. So as I watched Lars interact with Bianca as though she was real, I kind of understood. I could relate to wanting to have someone who listened and who you listened to. I could relate to wanting to have someone to do things with. And I could relate to how much better it is to have a date to take with you places like parties, than to go alone. I don't think I'm at a place of mental illness that I would actually take a mannequin or sex doll with me places, pretending he was real, but it made sense to me. Bianca becomes, for Lars, a gateway into all these other places of life - a way to help him gain courage and weirdly, acceptance.

This movie might end up being like "Stranger Than Fiction" in my movie collection - a slightly odd movie that speaks to bigger issues and touches my heart. I love movies that have glimpses of truth, and "Lars and the Real Girl" is one. Check it out if you get the chance!

Five "love dolls" out of five.