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Lars and the Real Girl. What would have been a one-trick pony was surprising, full of hand-and-hand pain-delight. Tom said - and I agree - that there was a small ledge upon which the concept might have been well-executed... and the movie confidently strode out on that ledge without so much as a hint of doubt.
It's a story about a man whose crippling insecurities leads him to develop a full-scale delusion that his mail-order sex doll is a real person. It sounds like a tawdry gimmick, really, but the film takes the concept to such.. dare I say... innocent places. Sweet ones. More than just a film about a man trying to bring himself emotional comfort, it's also about the family and the town that stands firmly behind him through his crisis, despite their own struggles with the situation.
The screenplay was well-crafted, the directing lovely, and the performances excellent all around, particularly Gosling-- I have been touting him as the new generation's best for a few years now and I continue to feel vindicated. Gosling's subtle path from a man who refuses touch to a man who seeks it was beautifully realized. Supporting performances by Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider and Patricia Clarkson all excellently handled the myriad reactions to a loved one's (or a patient's) lost mind.
This isn't a movie that will interest realists. It's a fairy tale, and requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief (though there were moments that were so believable it made the rest seem practically plausible.) But if you open yourself to it, I think it will surprise and delight you. It certainly did so for me.
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