Note: this review was originally published February 5, 2008

Explaining the concept of Craig Gillespie’s film Lars and the Real Girl to someone who has never heard about it is a difficult task. Telling them it is a film about a man who buys a sex doll which he thinks is completely real is bound to turn people off and perhaps worry about the permissive morality of the filmgoer. Happily, there’s no need to be apprehensive. With its heart in the right place and a perfectly assembled group of actors, Lars and the Real Girl is a film for nearly everyone.

Ryan Gosling gives one of his bravest and best performances as Lars Lindstrom, a lonely 20-something with an aversion to human touch. His brother and sister-in-law who live just a few footsteps away try to persuade him to come over for a meal on many occasions only to be met with refusal. One night, Lars comes over to their house and says that he has met a girl whom he would like to bring over for dinner. They are overjoyed until they find out that said girl is a life-size plastic “love doll” named Bianca whom Lars thinks is real and describes as his Danish/Brazilian, physically disabled, missionary girlfriend.

Since Lars and Bianca are both churchgoing Christians, Lars asks that his brother and sister-in-law house Bianca because to keep her in his small garage across the yard just wouldn’t be right! Lars’ brother Gus is appalled, but is convinced by his wife Karin to go along with it. As the film moves on, Lars’ family and community work together to help Lars come out of his shell by accepting his delusion and treating Bianca as a genuine human being. Bianca’s stay in this small town does not simply precipitate a change in Lars, but the community that goes out of their way to accept him.

When members of the local church meet together to discuss the new “woman” in town, a few of them balk at the idea of accepting Lars’ delusion, calling Bianca “a golden calf.” One of the older female members quickly points out that everyone in the church has their own idiosyncrasies, struggles, and problems. The solution to Lars’ delusion is then posited: “What would Jesus do?” In a lesser film, this common catch phrase would become cliche, but this time it’s not. The concept is something real, applicable, and, perhaps most importantly, driven by great writing.

One of the most striking things about this film is how it avoids the cheap pratfalls inherent to its subject matter. It is a story about a man who buys a sex doll, but is in no way a sexual film. Unspeakable things are never shown, seen, or even implied. In fact, the film has a purity to it that many of this year’s films have lacked. As offbeat as it may seem, Lars and the Real Girl never brings more laughter than a small chuckle and a smile. Instead, the film is a valuable lesson about the importance of kindness, community, and acceptance.

In an interview with The New York Times, screenwriter Nancy Oliver said that she came up with the idea for the film by considering what would happen if our culture didn’t treat mentally ill people like animals, but instead tried to make their lives better through kindness and compassion. Her film succeeds in doing this and does it not with sermonizing, but with the power of an engaging story told with restraint and artistry. Lars and the Real Girl is a film from which everyone can and should learn something, the kind of film our culture desperately needs more of.