The "My Word Is Final" Review: Lars and the Real Girl

by Brian Hughes

Once again, I preface this review with a warning: if you don’t want to know what the hell goes on with Lars and his plastic doll, go shit in your hat – because I tell it ALL! I tell it as I see it.

Okay – in length, this film directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Nancy Oliver (“Six Feet Under”), was an excellent character study and one heck of an allegory. Here’s the lowdown: Lars (Ryan Gosling), a timid and shy loner, is shacked up in his brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law Karin’s (Emily Mortimer) garage. Lars has been exceptionally standoffish as of late and this peaks Karin’s concern. After literally tackling her brother-in-law, Lars begrudgingly decides to sit in for dinner. Gus offers him an opportunity to move in, knowing full well his reclusive brother will reject him. At work one day, Lars is shown a web site where you can customize your own latex and atomically correct girlfriend. Lars buys one, introduces her to the utter shock and embarrassment of Gus and Karin, and all hell breaks loose. Gus and Karin immediately rush Lars and his new girlfriend “Bianca” off to the family doctor (Patricia Clarkson), and are told that in order to help Lars, they must go along with his delusion.

What is interesting is that you find yourself uncomfortably howling with laughter as he takes Bianca to a party and to Sunday mass. I say uncomfortable because what Lars is suffering from is serious and sad to watch once it unravels. But though Gillespie finds humor in the misfortunes of Lars, he never makes fun of him. He gives Lars dignity in illness, and instills in the viewer a compassion for him; this is helped to great effect and acting by the people (supporting cast) who populate the small town Lars grew up in. And that is part of the charm of this movie (though you have to severely suspend disbelief): that a town that has nurtured Lars since he was a little baby, decides to back and support Lars in his illness, rather than to scoff and reject him.

This is the first time I have seen Ryan Gossling act, and I’ll tell you, he impressed the holy fuck out of me. I did not watch Gossling act; I had the pleasure to watch Lars as a human being live his life on screen. Everything from Gosling’s choice of eye twitches, to his repressed anger, to his near panic attacks, to his weeping – knocked me for a loop. Schneider, as Gus, is a find. He played the repression game as well, holding in a lot of what he was feeling concerning his sick brother and the way he abandoned him when they were young. Though I would have liked if Gus had shown more frustration and impatience with Lars, this is probably more Gillespie’s fault than Schneider’s. Gus was played more as a “regular” guy to Lars’ eccentric, and this added to the dynamic of their relationship. Emily Mortimer was - as always - cute and loveable and hot when she gets angry. Though very good at playing nutty women, Emily did a fine job as the sympathetic sister-in-law. And didn’t ONCE remove her clothes – a miracle! Clarkson was okay – but there was not much to work with. Her character fell into that category of “wise omniscient-eyed” sensitive doctor, a role that, if it were given to a male actor, probably could have been played by Morgan Freeman.

I cried in two or three instances in this film. That’s right, I fucking cried – okay – so what! It made me cry AND laugh, as cliqued as that sounds. My word, as always, is final. Go see this film, support the actors, most importantly – support Gossling, and support the filmmakers - for giving us a portrait of small town life, for teaching us some lessons, and for getting to know one-of-a-kind Lars.