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Dan in Real Life

Play trailer Poster for Dan in Real Life PG-13 2007 1h 38m Romance Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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65% Tomatometer 166 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Dan Burns (Steve Carell), a widower and advice columnist, meets a beautiful stranger (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore and is instantly smitten. Unfortunately the woman, named Marie, is already involved with Dan's charismatic brother (Dane Cook). As a weekend family gathering gets underway, Dan and Marie try to hide their mutual attraction, but fall in love anyway.
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Dan in Real Life

Dan in Real Life

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Critics Consensus

The fine performances elevate Dan in Real Life beyond its sentimental plot.

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Critics Reviews

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Alonso Duralde MSNBC 05/01/2008
2/5
Alas, [Hedges'] forays behind the camera with Pieces of April and now Dan in Real Life indicate he's got Sundance intentions but a Hallmark Channel soul. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 01/11/2008
2/5
It's amiable enough, but the ickiness levels are too high and Juliette Binoche always looks uncomfortable in this shallow-end material. Go to Full Review
Catherine Chambers BBC.com 01/11/2008
4/5
It's the unlikely chemistry between Binoche and Carell coupled with Carell's impeccable comic timing (watch out for the shower scene) that keeps you glued to the screen. Go to Full Review
Bárbara Escamilla Cinemanía (Spain) 11/05/2020
2/5
Falls short. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/05/2020
3.0/4.0
Binoche takes the fairly one-note character of Marie and allows her to blossom. Go to Full Review
Mike Scott Times-Picayune 10/09/2009
2/4
A charming, though occasionally off-target -- and consistently tempo-challenged -- romantic comedy. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Swaus G @SwausGebouwen 4d Even if you're someone who doesn't have time for rom-coms, you can make an exception for Dan in Real Life. The romance is the destination, but we don't know this when setting out. The medium, or "mode of transport" is instead a reflective and poignant art-house movie about feelings and family tension. The film, throughout, talks to you through vibes and intuition instead of spelling it out like a modern rom-com would tend to do. I think it's a masterclass in building tension and attachment. As with so many great films, the one thing I would change about the film is to make it longer.... Extend it by having more story development between Dan and his daughters, because the film *acts* like his relationship to them is just as important to the film as his developing love for Marie, and yet we only see them interact in brief snippets. Minus half a star for that. If you like Steve Carell, do him the service of watching this more serious performance of his. See more Carlos I @carlosFibarra Nov 12 Its a fun little rom-com anchored by a charming performance from Steve Carell, delivering exactly the kind of sweet, slightly awkward family humor you'd expect. While the movie has aspirations to be a quirky indie flick, the film's familiar romantic tropes and predictable beats mean it falls just short of that, settling instead into a pleasant, if unremarkable, piece of mainstream comfort viewing. See more Joshua L Nov 4 While it was predictable, as all rom coms are, and the family dynamics seem unrealistic, I didn't expect Carell to make me cry in his portrayal as a widowed father of 3 girls. I am always a fan of anything Steve is in. While it's definitely not one of my favorite rom coms, it's still a fun one to watch with your partner. It's light hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. As much as I didn't buy the family dynamics and relationships in this, like all the games and activities they all did together which I found annoying, it was heartwarming to see them all doing things together and enjoying each other's company, even if it felt a bit too much at times. I had no expectations coming into this movie and I knew nothing about it before watching it and I left with a tear in my eye from Carells heartwarming performance as a father. He had a good character arc in this where he grew and learned to love again and be vulnerable and honest with himself. See more Madam D @Madam1948 May 9 A sweet movie, but unrealistic in every way. If you enjoy rom-coms u will like it a lot. See more Rehan May 5 No, man. What is this... See more Wendel L @BRZRKR Mar 9 Direção: Ok Atuação: Bom Roteiro: Bom Caracterização: Ok Soundtrack: Ok See more Read all reviews
Dan in Real Life

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Movie Info

Synopsis Dan Burns (Steve Carell), a widower and advice columnist, meets a beautiful stranger (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore and is instantly smitten. Unfortunately the woman, named Marie, is already involved with Dan's charismatic brother (Dane Cook). As a weekend family gathering gets underway, Dan and Marie try to hide their mutual attraction, but fall in love anyway.
Director
Peter Hedges
Producer
Jonathan Shestack, Brad Epstein
Screenwriter
Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Distributor
Buena Vista
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures, Jon Shestack
Rating
PG-13 (Some Innuendo)
Genre
Romance, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 26, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$47.6M
Runtime
1h 38m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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