Plot
A widower finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's girlfriend.
Release Year: 2007
Rating: 6.9/10 (48,013 voted)
Critic's Score: 65/100
Director:
Peter Hedges
Stars: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook
Storyline Dan Burns is a single father who dedicates his life to his children, but one day he meets Marie at a bookstore. They get to know each other, but then Dan finds out that Marie is actually dating his brother, Mitch Burns.
Writers: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Cast: Steve Carell
-
Dan
Juliette Binoche
-
Marie
Dane Cook
-
Mitch
Alison Pill
-
Jane
Britt Robertson
-
Cara
(as Brittany Robertson)
Marlene Lawston
-
Lilly
Dianne Wiest
-
Nana
John Mahoney
-
Poppy
Norbert Leo Butz
-
Clay
Amy Ryan
-
Eileen
Jessica Hecht
-
Amy
Frank Wood
-
Howard
Henry Miller
-
Will
Ella Miller
-
Rachel
Cameron 'CJ' Adams
-
Elliot
Opening Weekend: $11,809,445
(USA)
(28 October 2007)
(1 Screen)
Gross: $67,938,171
(Worldwide)
(29 March 2009)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
In one scene, Marie can be seen wearing a sweatshirt which says "Oak Park" on the front. John Mahoney has lived in Oak Park, IL for many years.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Marie is making pancakes, she picks up the syrup to pour on Dan's pancakes with her left hand and starts to pour, then in the next shot she is pouring with her right hand.
Quotes: Marie:
I'm looking for a book... something that can help me deal with what might be an awkward situation. Something funny might be nice, but not necessarily big, 'ha, ha, ha,' 'laugh, laugh, laugh' funny, and certainly not make-fun-of-other-people funny but rather something human-funny...
[...]
User Review
A Delightful Treat for Adults
Rating: 9/10
The most satisfying element about "Dan in Real Life" is that the
relationship between Dan (Steve Carell) and Marie (Juliette Binoche)
makes sense and is beautifully realistic. The casting of Oscar-winner
Juliette Binoche as Dan's love interest was a superb decision; she is
exceptionally talented, intelligent, naturally attractive and, thank
goodness, appropriately aged for the part! Had this movie been made
with Jessica Alba or Scarlett Johansson, it would have been a disaster.
Another wonderful aspect about "Dan in Real Life" is that it is a
perfect film for adults who are interested in a mature comedy that
leaves out the three pillars of the "frat pack" formula: dumb chicks,
chauvinistic guys, and sleazy jokes. "Dan in Real Life" is witty and
has fun, intelligent laughs throughout. Whereas other comedies
incorporate or are almost entirely based on jokes that shock the
audience into laughing, the jokes from "Dan in Real Life" are more
natural and clever, and involve some thinking on the part of the
audience.
My only problem with "Dan in Real Life" is that the rebellious, middle
daughter is played too outrageously by actress Brittany Robertson. It's
difficult to say if this was a personal choice on her part or a choice
by the director. Either way, her character is unrealistic and annoying.
But, this is only a minor flaw in the film, and does not take away from
the story as a whole.
All in all, "Dan in Real Life" is a great film, a fantastic escape from
the redundancy of offensive and dumbed-down comedies. The quality of
the writing, directing, acting, and (especially) cinematography is
excellent. It is simply a beautiful, light-hearted comedy.
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