Official Synopsis:
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 (Carell) 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.

  
Our Take:
Steve Carell and Dane Cook are two of the biggest names in comedy right now, so you might expect that a movie starring the two of them would be a hysterically funny venture. Dan in Real Life is an extremely funny movie, actually, but probably not in the way you would expect from Carell and Cook.

Dan In Real Life is a dramedy in which Steve Carell plays a widowed advice columnist who’s struggling to raise his three girls. At a family retreat, he falls in love with a mysterious woman he meets at a bookstore, who turns out to be his brother’s new girlfriend. It’s this simple premise that sets up the movie, but it’s the talents of Carell, Cook, and Juliet Binoche (plus an amazing supporting cast that includes Amy Ryan, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt, and Dianne Wiest) that make Dan In Real Life such a warm, funny, fantastic film. I found myself laughing throughout the film, but it was never due to Carell resorting to character voices or silly shtick, and Cook, while not the most serious character in the film, plays very little for laughs.

The laughs come instead from the real heart that this movie has. It is at times poignant and at times laugh-inducing, but it finds that perfect blend that makes the movie utterly charming. Carell is a revelation in this largely dramatic role, and he will easily make a much smoother transition into dramatic roles than fellow comedians Will Ferrell or Jim Carrey. He never mugs for the camera or does any typically Carell-ian movies, but you love his character from the very get-go, and you enjoy taking this journey of self-discovery with him.

The Dan in Real Life DVD comes with a pretty standard complement of extra features.

* Deleted Scenes (20 minutes) – With optional commentary by writer/director Peter Hedges.
* Outtakes (3 minutes).
* Just Like Family: The Making Of Dan in Real Life (15 minutes) – A standard-but-enjoyable making-of.
* Handmade Music: Creating the Score (10 minutes) – Focuses on Sondre Lerche, who created all the music for the film.
* Audio Commentary - With Writer/Director Peter Hedges.

Dan in Real Life was unfortunately, largely ignored at the box office, but it’s easily Steve Carell’s best movie yet. It’s lighthearted and romantic and funny and, ultimately, completely magical. A great date movie, or just a terrific film for anyone who enjoys character pieces, Dan in Real Life is really something special.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A
DVD: C

- Mike Spring
Editor