The movie itself is almost as quiet and subtle as its lead character never going for the flashy emotional outburst type scenes; Lars and the Real Girl manages to operate on a very different level than most films. It engages the audience without engrossing them. Everyone in the film takes things as they come not quiet sure how to react to it and as the audience we have the same reaction.

Ryan Gosling’s performance in this piece rivals his amazing Oscar nominated performance in the film Half Nelson. In that film, however, his power came from everything that he showed the audience, here it’s in everything that he keeps inside that we only get to see small glimpses of. He’s really one of the most talented actors working today in his age range. Never afraid to play a part that isn’t considered sexy or empowering, he embraces the subtlety of truly creating a new person for the world to see.

Special Features on this disc are somewhat brief but definitely not lacking in any way. The first is a single deleted scene that has the best introduction to a deleted scene I’ve ever seen. Instead of having to watch the scene first not knowing where it initially fit in and then later watching it again with the voice over of the director explaining where it was and why it was taken out (which is annoying and time consuming) there is a very short quote from the director on the screen saying where it was and why they removed it. It seems like a very simple thing, but this is the first time I’ve experienced it done in this very simple but perfect way.

Next up is a behind-the-scenes featurette that talks about everything from concept to script and from casting to shooting. Interviews with the cast are always my favorite part of the special features and there are some good ones conducted on set. There’s also a second featurette on Bianca herself where the cast and crew are interviewed about ‘working’ with her and what she was like professionally. It’s really a cute, fun touch to the DVD especially when you watch Ryan Gosling and her being interviewed side by side and you see what happens when even a plastic doll can become a Hollywood Diva.

If you’re looking for something that is going to knock your socks off and be totally blown away by, this is not the film for you. But if you’re in the mood for a quieter and perhaps more meaningful night in, you should definitely check out Lars and the Real Girl.

Movie Grade: A-
DVD Features Grade: A-
Overall Grade: A-