Lars and the Real Girl (PG-13, 2007)

Here is a beautifully simple film that doesn't try to be anything or try to do anything other than tell an original story. After seeing trailers for it on an indie movie site, and seeing what a great cast and concept it had, I looked forward to this movie greatly-- and I was not disappointed at all. There was a simple just pleasure and spark of movie magic that came from the film-- something that movies seriously lack nowadays, even the greatest of films. I wish I could talk about it, but it feels like that magic is destroyed picking apart the film. What I will say however is that this film is one of the best films this year (it easily outshines movies such as the over-hyped Michael Clayton or the pathetic Saw IV), and is very well-worth anyone's time to invest in. (I wrote that part back in October of 2007 for another site, so that's without taking such incredible movies as No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood.) That being said also, as another review put it on another site, the movie is also about how the community comes together selflessly to help take care of someone who needs their help-- something that is obviously a good message. And while some people have complained that the film was too calculating in its sweetness and emotion, but I think the only people who would have that kind of problem with the film are those who actively analyze a film while watching it. If you want a sweet, funny but also serious, film that works as a breath of fresh air amongst all the somber movies that are so sure they are saying something, this comes highly reccommended.