DVD Review: Dan in Real Life

By Brendon Lindsey
Tags: Dan in Real Life, Dane Cook, DVD review, fictionally real, not as advertised, romantic comedy, Steve Carell

Remember when Steve Carell was “That one guy on The Daily Show” and not a comedy superstar? And remember when he was by far the more popular of the Carell/Colbert duo on Stewart’s show? Me neither. Somehow Carell went from being that goofy guy on Comedy Central to being in every damn thing out there. (Let’s just forget about Evan Almighty for a moment.)

Perhaps more than his comedic performances, Steve’s been typecast for his ability to turn in an absolutely stunning dramedic affair. With Michael Scott on The Office and his character in Little Miss Sunshine, he showed that he could do more than pure comedy, and thankfully for his career, at a much earlier stage than Jim Carrey did.

Now, Steve turns his sights on romantic comedies by partnering with everyone’s favorite douche, Dane Cook. Carell plays a character named Dan Burns, who happens to be an advice columnist with a sordid life of his own. (What a twist!) Dan’s a widower with three daughters, and suffers from severe loneliness and depression while trying to cope with being the dad of three blossoming daughters.

Things seem to be black and bleak for Dan until he goes up to his family’s cabin for a get together, and meets a wonderful girl at the shop. They hit it off, and for the first time since his wife (we assume), he gets the sought after digits. Unfortunately, this is a movie, so obviously things aren’t that peachy keen, and it turns out this woman is the girlfriend of Dan’s brother, played by Dane Cook himself.

Despite the title and Steve’s past works’ hinting, Dan in Real Life is by no means a darkly comedic portrayal of real life events. Rather, it’s Steve Carell in a romcom. You’ll have the typical romcom setups, the situations, and the eventual ending that you’ll see coming. For what it is, it succeeds. It’s one of the few romcoms that guys will like as well as girls, so at least it has that going for it. Is it this year’s Little Miss Sunshine? Sadly, no. But it’s still a better-than-average movie you won’t regret watching.

CONTENT - 3/5

Despite the title, it’s not realistic by any means. It’s a sweet, sentimental romcom starring today’s hottest comedy stars, and it succeeds at being entertaining while doing nothing extraordinary. Watch it, enjoy it, and forget about it until you see it on TV years from now.

VIDEO - 3/5

It’s not a fantastic transfer as some colors came out a little too soft and some of the darker scenes aren’t as clear as the theatrical release, but it’s not terrible. It looks washed out and muddled at time, but you can make out what’s on-screen. Just an odd change thematically from the original source.

AUDIO - 4/5

Obviously it’s a dialog-driven film so surround or anything won’t really matter at all. What is worth noting, though, is the fantastic work Sondre Lerche does with the music. It often fits so well you don’t even notice it’s there. This is how all indie-music-driven films should operate. (Hear that, Braff?)

EXTRAS - 3/5

Some director commentary, some behind the scenes looks, and that’s that. The deleted scenes and outtakes are nothing too special, but what does stand out is that the director had a blast making this movie, as did everyone on it. It’s refreshing to see a cast so in tune with one another in this day and age. I just wish we had more of Steve’s presence in the extras, a la Nathan Fillion in his (one or two) good movies.

REPLAY - 2.5/5

It has its moments, but for the most part this is the kind of movie you’ll watch once and then forget about or never watch again unless someone notices it sitting there. The jokes aren’t so great they stay funny, and while the performances are good they aren’t THAT good. Purely a rental affair.

OVERALL - 3/5

Dan in Real Life may not be what people expect with a Carell film, but that could be a good thing. Once again Steve spreads his acting wings and performs a role we haven’t really seen too often from him, and once again his audience base is widened. It’s a simple, (un)realistic look at family life and the tragedy of growing old alone and raising children, but it’s entertaining and the kind of movie perfect for a rainy day.

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