There was a limited expectation for this movie. The main reason being due to the fact it's the story of a guy who orders a sex doll from the Internet and introduces 'it' as his new girlfriend. The question that screams out loud is "how would this have gone down in real life?".
Lars is a quiet reclusive kind of guy who is likable enough, but doesn't particularly try too hard. A church going, cubicle office worker who lives in the garage of a house that was left to him and his married brother by his recently departed parents.
First off he introduces his new 'friend' to his brother and sister in law as Bianca, a half Brazilian, half Danish visitor to the US who has just had her luggage stolen on arrival into the country. Both being religious and old fashioned in their views, he asks if Bianca can stay in the house with his brother and sister in law. Next he asks his sister in law to lend Bianca some clothes. The brother points out the obvious and states that Bianca is plastic. The reply by Lars is "Yes she is shy and doesn't speak much".
The movie, if not bizarre enough by this stage, gets even more way out. Suddenly this shy, quiet boy who wouldn't say boo to a goose, becomes the town's hero due to his pragmatic approach to his new 'girlfriend'. Bianca is given a job, asked to volunteer in the local hospital and is even invited out on a girls night. Lars response to this, instead of saying "Hey you fools I'm just kidding she's just a doll" is one of jealousy that his girlfriend has made plans that do not include him.
All along it's pretty obvious that Bianca is Lars way of practicing his social skills with women before actually going on a date at the age of 27. What is more than a little absurd, is that there is a girl in town who, despite the fact that Lars is dating is sex toy, is actually interested in him.
After an evening bowling with his new friend Lars comes back to discover that his inanimate girlfriend is unconscious. By the time we arrive at this point in the movie, the whole town including the local church goers, Lars' work colleagues and his family are all going along with the pretense. Suddenly, Bianca belongs to an HMO and has medical insurance. An ambulance with active medics transports Bianca to the local hospital hooked up to a drip. On arrival Lars is told that he cannot be present during the initial examination. Lars then decides that Bianca is dying. The doctor, a character who is also counseling Lars all the way through the movie, allows Lars to take Bianca home to die. This is probably the second freakiest part of the movie.
Here comes the freakiest scene. After Bianca dies, you guessed it, there's a funeral and a burial. Maybe the movie is just a complete escape from reality. Maybe Lars is the only normal guy in the whole town. Maybe the mayor is an action figure and the police carry water pistols. Maybe society should treat people in the way that Bianca was accepted by the town. Are there morals to be learned from this movie or is this just too way out and wacky? Maybe it takes a better person than myself to even begin to fathom out what the writer was trying to prove. All in all, apart from excellent acting by Ryan Gosling, the actual storyline itself was just too weird for words.
Lars is a quiet reclusive kind of guy who is likable enough, but doesn't particularly try too hard. A church going, cubicle office worker who lives in the garage of a house that was left to him and his married brother by his recently departed parents.
First off he introduces his new 'friend' to his brother and sister in law as Bianca, a half Brazilian, half Danish visitor to the US who has just had her luggage stolen on arrival into the country. Both being religious and old fashioned in their views, he asks if Bianca can stay in the house with his brother and sister in law. Next he asks his sister in law to lend Bianca some clothes. The brother points out the obvious and states that Bianca is plastic. The reply by Lars is "Yes she is shy and doesn't speak much".
The movie, if not bizarre enough by this stage, gets even more way out. Suddenly this shy, quiet boy who wouldn't say boo to a goose, becomes the town's hero due to his pragmatic approach to his new 'girlfriend'. Bianca is given a job, asked to volunteer in the local hospital and is even invited out on a girls night. Lars response to this, instead of saying "Hey you fools I'm just kidding she's just a doll" is one of jealousy that his girlfriend has made plans that do not include him.
All along it's pretty obvious that Bianca is Lars way of practicing his social skills with women before actually going on a date at the age of 27. What is more than a little absurd, is that there is a girl in town who, despite the fact that Lars is dating is sex toy, is actually interested in him.
After an evening bowling with his new friend Lars comes back to discover that his inanimate girlfriend is unconscious. By the time we arrive at this point in the movie, the whole town including the local church goers, Lars' work colleagues and his family are all going along with the pretense. Suddenly, Bianca belongs to an HMO and has medical insurance. An ambulance with active medics transports Bianca to the local hospital hooked up to a drip. On arrival Lars is told that he cannot be present during the initial examination. Lars then decides that Bianca is dying. The doctor, a character who is also counseling Lars all the way through the movie, allows Lars to take Bianca home to die. This is probably the second freakiest part of the movie.
Here comes the freakiest scene. After Bianca dies, you guessed it, there's a funeral and a burial. Maybe the movie is just a complete escape from reality. Maybe Lars is the only normal guy in the whole town. Maybe the mayor is an action figure and the police carry water pistols. Maybe society should treat people in the way that Bianca was accepted by the town. Are there morals to be learned from this movie or is this just too way out and wacky? Maybe it takes a better person than myself to even begin to fathom out what the writer was trying to prove. All in all, apart from excellent acting by Ryan Gosling, the actual storyline itself was just too weird for words.