| | | Something's Happening to Dan. It's Confusing. It's Awkward. It's Family.
Steve Carell (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, TV's The Office), Hollywood's leading funnyman, stars in the hilarious comedy that's bursting with charm - a movie you'll watch again and again. Advice columnist Dan Burns (Carrell) is an expert on relationships, but somehow struggles to succeed as a brother, a son and a single parent to three precocious daughters. Things get even more complicated when Dan finds out that the woman he falls in love with is actually his brother's new girlfriend. Carell is joined by a brilliant all-star supporting cast, including Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney, and Dianne Wiest, for a heartfelt, fun-filled comedy that's "laugh-out-loud funny" (Steve Oldfield, FOX).
"A smart, sweet, and thoroughly disarming ensemble comedy that isn't afraid to wear its humanism on its sleeve." Glenn Kenny, Premiere
"Deftly interlaces heart and humor in a witty, warm and well-observed comedy..." Joe Leydon, Variety
"...a comedy that's at once overstuffed and surprisingly subtle." Keith Phipps, The Onion A.V. Club
"Provides Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche with comic roles that fit them like designer threads." Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
"...fires on so many circuits that at times it's actually shocking how good it is." Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"A nimble and supple and moving comedy." Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"Blissfully funny and touching." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Just as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE did in 2006, DAN IN REAL LIFE reveals that Steve Carell is an actor who can do more than just comedy. He's won both accolades and awards as bumbling boss Michael Scott on THE OFFICE, but there's a greater depth to this performance as a single father and man in love. Advice columnist Dan Burns (Carell) has his hands full with three daughters that he's not willing to let grow up. The girls still grieve for their mother who died four years ago, and Dan hasn't made any attempts to date. So he's pleasantly surprised when he meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) at a bookstore when he goes to his parents' Rhode Island home for the annual family reunion. But his joy is short-lived when he discovers that she is dating his brother (Dane Cook), forcing Dan to hide his feelings and chemistry with Marie.Carell adeptly balances his role's humor and heartache, while Binoche (CHOCOLAT) is radiant as ever. Comedian Cook (GOOD LUCK CHUCK) shows surprising talent as the third leg of their love triangle. Through his duties as director and co-screenwriter, Peter Hedges deserves much of the credit for creating a film that is sweet without being sappy. Even though he's working with a far bigger budget than he did for his directorial debut, PIECES OF APRIL, he still maintains the feelings of intimacy and honesty that made that film such a critical favorite. What could have been a standard romantic comedy of errors turns into a strong film that goes deeper than many of its peers in the genre. DAN IN REAL LIFE also succeeds thanks to its soundtrack from Norwegian indie pop musician Sondre Lerche. The singer's compositions, both originals and favorites from his career, perfectly suit the film's tone and moods.
| Features | Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Peter Hedges | | Audio: English, French, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Deleted Scenes With Audio Commentary By Writer/Director Peter Hedges | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: Just Like Family - The Making Of Dan In Real Life, & Handmade Music - Creating The Score | | Interactive Menus | | Real Life Outtakes | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista Home Video |
| Release Date: 12/26/2009 |
| Running Time: 98 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2007 | | Catalog ID: 5416603 | | UPC: 00786936732658 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
3 stars out of 4 -- "[B]lissfully funny and touching....Its characters manage to be romantic, hilarious and recognizably human at the same time." 11/01/2007 p.92Entertainment Weekly
"DAN IN REAL LIFE is a comedy of faith, that, in its wised-up feel-good way, restores yours." -- Grade: A- 11/02/2007 p.50 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "Touching, tender and laugh-out-loud funny, this little rom-com will melt your heart..." 01/01/2008 p.43 Los Angeles Times
"[A] star-driven sophisticated romantic comedy....DAN offers the most pleasing kind of unforced charm as it uses a terrific plot device to examine the conflicts between family and romance as well as the joy and pain of being in love." 10/26/2007 Empire
3 stars out of 5 -- "With touches of classic Wood Allen....Carell subtly evokes the stretched nerves of a man with nowhere to turn." 02/01/2008 p.51 ReelViews 6 of 10
Most romantic comedies follow conventional formulas that, when they work, can result in a frothy, enjoyable end product - admittedly, not something to challenge the intellect but enough to cause the heart to skip a beat or two. When those formulas turn rancid, however, the result is something like Dan in Real Life. Beneath its aw-shucks, wants-to-be-liked exterior, this is a bankrupt motion picture. It's cloying, artificial, and not the least bit romantic. In its 100 minutes of screen time, it gets only one thing right: that teenage girls will always hate their father, regardless of the provocation...Dan in Real Life feels like a bad flashback to The Family Stone. However, where that one had some charm, wit, and genuine romantic impulses, this one has none of the above. It's an unhealthy mix of romance and family angst and, while the dosage isn't toxic, there are too many times when it comes close. The most depressing thing about watching this movie is that there's always a sense it's on the verge of doing something interesting, but it never gets there...It's tough to actively dislike something this bland and inconsequential. It's just another throw-away movie that only merits a review because it features someone as prominent as Carrell. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Steve Carell of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" has a personality, or maybe it is a lack of personality, that is growing on me. He is content to exist on the screen without sending wild semaphores of his intentions, his uniqueness and how funny he is. He's an everyman like a very (very) low-key Jack Lemmon. That makes him right for a romantic comedy like "Dan in Real Life," during which he isn't expected to go over the top, but be just romantic and funny enough, you see, to let the situation work on its own terms...The movie's director and co-writer, Peter Hedges, made the overlooked little treasure "Pieces of April," a 2003 Sundance hit, also about a Thanksgiving family reunion (which, oddly enough, also involved a family named Burns). His plot this time is less fraught, maybe because enormous stakes are not involved; Mitch and Marie are not desperately in love; Dan and Marie hardly know each other, and social awkwardness is the most difficult hurdle between here and happiness. That's why the movie's so soothingly pleasant...Yes, there are some loud moments and big laughs, some of them involving the three girls, who seem to be enduring simultaneous hormonal yearnings, but Mahoney and Wiest keep a steady hand on the tiller, and the fireplaces and Arts & Crafts furniture exert a calming influence. Juliette Binoche also has much to do with the film's charm. - Roger Ebert
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