Remember all those films where Ryan Gosling plays the deliciously dreamy heartthrob who consumes every woman’s deepest fantasies? Mmyeah, this is nothing like any of those.

In Lars and the Real Girl, Ryan Gosling plays Lars Linstrom, an exceedingly awkward man who lives in his brother and sister-in-law’s garage. The majority of Lars’ time is spent trying to avoid human contact and minimize the duration of conversations.

I think Lars’ awkwardness is supposed to be endearing, but it also comes off a little murdery. Lars is like the guy you hear about on the news who committed a heinous crime and all the neighbors comment that he “always kept to himself” and “seemed like a nice guy”. He rocks an unsettling mustache and often sits alone on his bed at night…in the dark…staring down at the floor. If that doesn’t scream SERIAL KILLER, I don’t know what does. And yet, as you watch the movie, you grow to appreciate his strangeness.

Lars’ sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer) tries desperately to get Lars to come and spend time with her and her husband, Gus. Karin is a compassionate, motherly type who has made it her personal mission to help Lars. Perhaps one of my favorite scenes in this movie is in the first act where Karin is trying to get Lars to come over for a meal. First, she invites him to breakfast, but he makes the excuse that he has to go to church. So, she says he should come by after church. Not wanting to be rude (and also hoping she’ll go away) Lars reluctantly agrees. But he still doesn’t show up. So when Karin sees him pull in the driveway the next night, she runs out to invite him to dinner. After several pleading exchanges, Karin ends up physically tackling Lars to the ground. It is quite hilarious, but it also shows us how seriously Karin worries about Lars’ isolationism.

Other than being a total weirdo, Lars leads a normal(ish) life. He has an office job where he shares a cubicle with a porn-addicted creeper, and fends off advances from his innocent coworker, Margot, who has a crush on him. One morning, the cubicle creeper shows Lars a website for anatomically correct sex dolls, which is seemingly of little interest to Lars. However, six weeks later, a large package is delivered to the garage. Lars shows up at Karin and Gus’ door to let them know he has a visitor — It’s Bianca, his new “girlfriend” who he “met on the internet”. Karin and Gus are thrilled at the prospect of Lars having a girlfriend, and Lars explains that he needs a favor for his new lady. Bianca is very religious and doesn’t feel comfortable staying in the garage with Lars, so he asks if Karin and Gus will allow her to use their guest bedroom. They agree with an almost giddy enthusiasm. Of course, that’s before they “meet” Bianca and realize the situation they’ll now be forced to navigate. 

To Lars, Bianca is not a doll. She is alive. She has a story and a personality. Their relationship is not based on sex (phew!), but rather on companionship. Lars knows nearly everything about Bianca, and his descriptors give us an idea of who he imagines her to be. Here are a few facts about Bianca (according to Lars):

• She’s half Brazilian and half Danish
• She used to be a missionary
• She doesn’t speak much English
• She is in a wheelchair
• She is very religious
• She’s not superficial
• She cannot bear children
• She loves kids

After recovering from the moment of shock, Karin and Gus immediately start strategizing what to do next. In an ingenious move, Karin suggests taking Bianca to the doctor to make sure she’s “in good health” after her long trip. Unaware that the general practitioner is also a psychologist, Lars agrees to go and hear what the doctor has to say. The savvy psychologist gradually gains Lars’ trust as he returns each week to bring Bianca for “special treatments”.

The doctor explains to Karin and Gus that Lars is experiencing a delusion. To help him, they will need to play along. Karin and Gus take her advice but worry how the town will react and how they personally will get through it. They meet with the counsel of the local church for additional support.

This is where the film really becomes charming.

The entire town bands together for Lars, with each person generously playing into his delusion and including Bianca in their activities and social functions.

Through Bianca’s social engagements, Lars’ relationship with everyone else grows and he starts learning to interact with the people he’s been trying so desperately to avoid. But the closer he edges away from his social anxiety, the more Lars and Bianca drift apart. They start to fight and Lars becomes jealous that Bianca’s regimented social schedule is interfering with their alone time. Slowly but surely, we see a glimmer of change in Lars, and we start to learn about the issues from his past that are making him feel so secluded.

Lars and the Real Girl is a poignant, clever, and whimsical dramedy that reminds us what being human is truly about. Watch the film to discover how Lars evolves and what ultimately happens between him and Bianca.