Movie Review: Dan in Real Life

I got sucked into this one via a request from my wife and FAULTY statistical data from rottentomatoes.com (a 68% on the tomatometer, implying that it might actually be good, or at least have some moments). This move is horrid from the get-go.

Critics of comedic actors have a tough job. What's funny to most may not be funny to the critic, so they toe a fine line. Case in point: Steve Carell. I think the critics see Steve Carell as relatively new and accepted by most audiences. I also think people are anxious to pass the torch to Carell to be the lead in the next generation of comedic movies. As a result, critics go easy on their critiques of him due to their desire to give him positive reviews and not upset audiences. But just because he's relatively new and not hated does not mean he's the man to lead the comedy genre into the Promised Land, and Dan In Real Life is my Exhibit A.

First of all, I know the distinction between Romantic Comedy and Comedy, and most would be quick to point out this distinction, but let's examine Romantic Comedy for a moment. A Comedy is meant to make the audience laugh. A Romantic Comedy is meant to be Romantic and Comedic, but in my experience, Romantic Comedy seems like an oxymoron. Comedy is not meant to be romantic, nor is romance meant to be comedic. When Hollywood tries to combine the two, they rarely succeed in producing a quality flick. It's usually a comedy with some romantic themes, or a romance with comedic elements, but never both. Despite the futility of Romantic Comedies, the genre Romantic Comedy endures with the understanding that a Romantic Comedy is a classic "Date Movie" or a movie that both a guy and a girl will enjoy. Bare this in mind.

Dan in Real Life (a play upon the internet lingo, for those who are internet savvy) is meant to be a Date Movie. Give the guys Carell & comedy and the girls some romance and everyone leaves happy. The problem with this movie arises when the writer/director Peter Hedges fails to use Carell for comedy (opting for other actors to unsuccessfully deliver the punchlines) and instead uses Carell for the Romantic role (a widower with kids seeking to find someone to fill the void). The movie fails to uphold to its "Comedy" criteria and becomes a lackluster romance film, hence again why I feel that the Romantic Comedy genre is self-defeating. I never laughed at anything Carell did throughout the movie, and instead I was left feeling sorry for the dude. Am I supposed to feel sorry for the guy that's supposed to make me laugh? The other actors all seemed lost in the shuffle, believing that since Carell was supposed to be the funny guy, they should just support him in trying to be funny. Dane Cook is a great example of this dilemma wherein he plays the role, but never gets a laugh.

In the end, I was sorely disappointed in this movie, and in the critics for letting this movie off the hook in terms of how bad it truly was. Maybe I'm just not cut-out to watch Date Movies, but I've seen my share of quality flicks that are sappy while being funny, and this is DEFINITELY not one of them.

Apologies to Steve Carell as well. He may be the next guy to lead the next generation of comedies, but being handcuffed the way he was in this movie did not help this campaign.