Dan in Real Life

Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, John Mahoney, Emily Blunt, Dianne Wiest

Year: 2007

Have you heard of this movie? I hope so, although most have not. And that’s such a shame because it’s a great movie. It’s one of those movies that, unfortunately, got lost in the shuffle. The title doesn’t exactly scream ”Watch me! I’m so good!” But you really should. Because it really is.

Dan (Carell), is an advice columnist, and a single parent to three “busy” daughters. And while he is recognized as a very accomplished and successful columnist, for some reason, he can’t seem to listen to his own advice when it comes to his own relationships with his daughters, his brother, even with himself.

Dan and his girls are off to spend the weekend at Dan’s parents’ cottage - with the extended fam going too. A family tradition. And while that seems simple enough, it gets a bit more complicated when Dan ends up falling for his brother’s new girlfriend. And of course it doesn’t end there. His daughters don’t exactly make life easy for him - as most daughters have a pretty good knack at doing. They each have their own drama going on (not in a scary, horrible way - just a typical teenage, hormonal over-the-top, drama queen, kind of way).

If you are anything like me - and love family, being with family and perhaps even have a cottage of your own - you can’t help but love this movie. It is full of warmth, charm and romance. It is funny, and yet touching and tender.

The cast is strong, the cottage is cozy and the family is real. Or at least it feels real. And that‘s what I like about this movie the most. It reminds me that all families have their moments, no family is perfect, and yet, no matter what, we are family! And that's about as real as you can get. ❤️

Favourite Lines:

*Love is not a feeling Mr. Burns. It's an ability.

*I don't want to go out with the pig...face.

*Instead of telling our young people to plan ahead, we should tell them to plan to be surprised.

*There is rightness to our wrongness.

*You are a murderer of love!

From one movie "buff" to another....get that popcorn popped, the lights dimmed and the movie rolling.