Ric and I went to see Dan in Real Life at the cheap theater. I heard good things about it and thought it looked kind of good, despite the presence of Dane Cook in the cast. The rest of the cast is full of great actors, including Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Amy Ryan, Diane Wiest, John Mahoney, and Emily Blunt. I was surprised that, with such a diverse cast, more wasn't said about them in marketing, which mostly focused on Carell.

The story is about Carell's character, Dan, who writes a "Dear Abby" type of column for the newspaper. He is a widower and has three daughters. One hates him because she can't date, another because she can't drive, and one tries to love him despite the fact that he's too busy for her most of the time. The four of them join the rest of their family for a reunion of sorts. Dan's brother, Mitch, tells the whole family about his wonderful girlfriend and how he thinks she may be the one, and everyone eagerly awaits her arrival. Meanwhile, Dan goes to the local bookstore and meets a woman named Marie, and they hit it off with each other. Unfortunately, Marie turns out to be Mitch's one, and Dan and Marie spend the whole get-together avoiding and falling in love with each other.

It's a little bit convoluted, but because of the quality of the actors involved, it works. Carell carries his role well, and the story in general is sincere and sometimes heartwarming. Ric said that the melodrama with the teenage daughters was a bit much, but I had to break it to him that that's pretty much how teenage girls really are. The scene where one of his daughters declares that her father is a "murderer of love" was absolutely ridiculous, but probably accurate.. and funny.

The movie provides plenty of smiles and feels very comfortable. The family atmosphere feels legitimate, although I'm not quite sure I've ever been to a family get-together with so many organized activities. Music is provided by Sondre Lerche and fits in most of the time, but sometimes sticks out like an indie sore thumb. In the end, both Ric and I decided that it was worth the watch, particularly because Carell really made Dan a relatable character. Glad we tried it!

Leave it to Jon Lajoie to break my one Britney post rule. Probably NSFW:

Check out the rest of Jon's videos here.

I now have a migraine from trying to book a room but my mission was a success. If you're looking for me between July 23rd and July 27th I will be here. I didn't get the hotel I wanted but the Sheraton seems pretty nice. I will be joined by my cousin, Jeremy, and hopefully my brother. If you're going as well be sure and let me know!