I wasn't sure what to expect from Lars and the Real Girl. The plot sounds weird - a shy guy introduces a sex doll as his girlfriend to his family and town. I thought it would be a comedy making fun of awkward people, but I was completely wrong.
Lars is this really lonely guy who lives in his brother's garage. His mom died when he was born and his dad was awful to him, so he's basically afraid of human contact. When he orders this life size doll named Bianca and starts treating her like she's real, his family freaks out. But instead of forcing him into therapy, they talk to a doctor who says to just go along with it while she helps him.
Here's where the movie gets amazing - the whole town decides to play along too. They invite Bianca to church, give her a job, take her to get her hair done. Nobody makes fun of Lars. They all just quietly help him heal in his own way.
Ryan Gosling is incredible as Lars. He makes this character so gentle and sad that you just want to hug him. He's not playing it for laughs - he shows you exactly how much pain this guy is carrying around. The way he talks so quietly and keeps his shoulders hunched tells you everything about how scared he is of the world.
What really touched me the most was how the town treats Lars. In real life, people would probably mock him or try to "fix" him right away. But these people just love him through his weirdness. When Lars decides that Bianca is "dying" at the end, the whole community shows up to support him. It's like they understand that losing her means he's ready to connect with real people again.
The movie never makes jokes at Lars. It's not about the doll being funny - it's about loneliness and how we heal from trauma. Lars using Bianca to practice relationships is actually really smart when you think about it. She's safe. She can't hurt him or leave him.
By the end, when Lars asks his coworker Margo to go for a walk, you feel like cheering. It seems like such a small thing, but for him it's huge. He's finally ready to risk getting close to someone real.
This movie made me think about how we treat people who are struggling. It's basically asking - what if instead of judging someone's weird coping mechanism, we just loved them until they didn't need it anymore?
Lars and the Real Girl is one of those rare movies that makes you believe people can be good. It's strange and sad and beautiful all at once. They even gave Bianca her own credit at the end as "Bianca as Herself" which is perfect. If you want to watch something that will make you feel better about humanity, this is it.
Watch on Amazon Prime