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Cling & Clatter ...these words are my diary screaming out loud...

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Kaysi



Last Updated: 12/1/2009

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Gender: Female
Status: Single
Age: 28
City: SPARKS
State: Nevada
Country: US
Signup Date: 10/10/2005

Who Gives Kudos:

(2)
Danielle (2)
October 8, 2008 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  touched
This weekend I rented Lars and the Real Girl and I liked it so much I'm actually watching it for the third time right now. I was somewhat interested in the movie from the time I first heard about it, but then it seemed whenever I was renting movies, I wasn't in the mood to try this one... until this past weekend.

The concept is definitely bizarre and perhaps a little creepy -- man falls in love with life-size doll. But I found that's really not what the movie's about at all. I mean, yes, that is the premise of the movie if you only look at the surface. But there is so much more to this movie than that.

It's so endearing to see how the people in Lars' life surround him with unconditional love & support even as he seems to be completely losing touch with reality. I have to admit I questioned whether it would be very wise for an entire community to "play along" with someone's delusions, but by the end of the movie the sensibility of that question paled in comparison to the beautiful outpouring of love this community showed Lars, and that was all that seemed to matter.

This movie isn't really about some creepy, deranged guy thinking an inanimate object is real. It's about a man with a painful past who is struggling to overcome his insecurities and let go of his fear. And it's about the people in his life who see past his strange behaviors, who love him through them and in spite of them, who are endlessly patient and willing to risk their own reputations as they wait in hope that this person they love will one day be okay and find a sense of normality in his life.

Am I capable of this kind of love? Would I be willing to set aside my own sensibilities in order to offer unconditional support & acceptance to someone who is drawing stares and smirks with their strange behavior? I don't know... I wouldn't be as good at it as Lars' friends & family, I know that.

I love that this movie portrays a church family as part of the community that loves & supports Lars, and I think, unconventional subject matter aside, this offers one of the best pictures I've ever seen of what the Church ought to strive to be. We aren't responsible for where a person ends up, for their overcoming whatever may be holding them back in life. Our responsibility is simply to share the unconditional love of Jesus with them, caring for them the best way we can, exhibiting patience and acceptance even as we lovingly encourage them through whatever they're dealing with. Hopefully these people do eventually find their way out of whatever darkness they're experiencing -- hopefully we ALL do, because we all have our own struggles with darkness. But we can't base our love on that, because we can't be certain someone will find their way out. All we can do is hope & pray for that, as we love them, regardless.

There are specific things I love about this movie... I love the humor in how the people in Lars' life gradually bring Bianca to life almost as much as Lars does; I love the funny awkward moments throughout the movie when people aren't quite sure how to react to things; I love the sweetness of Margo's patience & kindness toward Lars as she waits to see if he will get past his delusional romance; I love the understanding exhibited by the doctor/psychiatrist as she works with Lars week after week; I love Karin's persistent, relentless pursuit as she tries to bring her brother-in-law into the land of the living, so to speak; I especially love the tenderness of Gus owning his part of the responsibility for where Lars is in his life. But all these specific things stem from the central, overarching theme of unconditional love that has made such an impression on me in this movie.

This is one of the best movies I've seen in quite some time.
Currently watching:
Lars and the Real Girl
Release date: 2008-04-15
11:03 AM
 
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Kaysi

 
"...he feels comforted by having someone there that could potentially last forever."

YES!!! I thought of that while I was watching the movie but didn't mention it in my blog. And I, too, picked up on the comment about the flowers lasting forever... Good job catching that since you've only seen it once (compared to my three times!). =)

What you said about little things happening throughout the movie that hinted about bigger things going on TOTALLY made sense. I can't think of any other specific examples right now, but I know there were lots of moments where I sensed that happening. Yesh.

I'm so glad you liked it. I seriously love it more & more as I keep thinking about it. Thanks for watching with me!

I loves you, too, Jessie Marie, and I hope your day is fantastic!
 
Posted by Kaysi on October 9, 2008 - Thursday - 5:36 PM
[Reply to this] 
Danielle

 
Wow, Kaysi. This is probably one of the last movies I thought you'd even consider seeing!

But I'm glad you did. I think the overall subject matter, that, "it's about this guy who orders one of those really expensive custom made sex dolls and thinks it's real" conjures up images of it being far from even a R rated film and confused people when it only had a PG-13 one. She is a biologically-correct sex doll, after all.

But I saw it and you're right. It's a sweet story with a deeply emotional theme - and luckily, they marketed it as such so that no one expected there would be any sexual content. I think the fact the doll itself, and her "normal" use being that of something totally different, is what makes this a PG-13 and not a PG-rated love story.

I enjoyed it too - and it's rare (I haven't made it thru Mamma Mia yet, even!) for me to sit through an entire movie at home. I did with this one and you're spot-on with your review. Keep it up - a friend of mine got a real job by reviewing movies so well in his blog. Yours are always so articualte and well-put and rarely even touch on the values of the writer, making you a darn fine film critic, IMHO.

xox
 
Posted by Danielle on October 10, 2008 - Friday - 4:11 PM
[Reply to this] 
Kaysi

 
Gosh, thanks Danielle! =)

And I'm glad you saw & liked the movie, too!! I was thinking of you the other day because I rented this one while I was house-sitting -- I always try to catch up on movies I've been wanting to see while I'm house-sitting -- which is how I had stumbled onto "Once" a while back. I remembered you'd really liked that movie, too. =) Sad thing is, I don't think many people saw either of these movies! They're missin' out!

Hope all is well with you & your getting-ready-to-move endeavors! Love ya!
 
Posted by Kaysi on October 10, 2008 - Friday - 4:41 PM
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