Deserves all the awards and praise that it's been getting!
WOW, i didn't wanna know too much on this film so i didn't read any reviews and all i can say is that this was not what i expected, and for once that was a good, no, great thing.The acting in the movie was top notch, trying not to give spoilers , so i will say that the way the community comes together in this movie is so wonderful, i wish everyone in the world could see this movie so we could all know how to be human in a world that can make us forget what really matters.Glad to see it won the golden globe, never watch those award shows but if i had seen this in the thater i would have , just to root for it, this film is THAT amazing!

Do I live on a different planet?
Don't get me wrong, I love quirky movies, but this was a little too much. The actors all did a good job, including the doll. My problem is this movie takes a semi-serious look at someone with a strong psychological disorder but does not handle it in a realistic manner. "Spoiler Alert!". You find me any ambulance, church, hospital who would take a blow-up doll this seriously, and i'll hand you a cool ten bucks. I guess they live in a community of enablers, and any doctor who would have any formal psychological education would not encourage continuing this illusion of a mentally disturbed person. Somehow this doll made it onto the school board, when typically there are many well-meaning adults pining for the position. Sympathy for an individual with mental issues only goes so far before it becomes unhealthy and unrealistic, which this movie passes with flying colors. I have worked professionally with people with mental illness and I do not find this movie plausible or clever. Don't think i'm a educational snob, if there was a clever twist to the movie, it could have redeeemed some value (murder or suicide of real life or doll), but the story as presented was just silly and laughable.

Wow... Not what I expected
I had been meaning to see this film for a while, because I thought it would be odd and quirky and a laugh. And yes, it was all of these things. But I didn't realize it would make me tear up at a number of moments, and I certainly didn't realize that Gosling would be delivering one of the better dramatic roles of recent memory, with an absolutely endearing portrayal of a kind, sensitive, and out of balance man who struggles with his life of loss by finding comfort in a not-quite-person (and who of us haven't done that, in some small way?) This is a movie that I will be recommending to all of my thinking friends.

No man is happy without a delusion of some kind.Delusions are as necessary to our happiness as realities.-Christian Nevell Bovee
Lars is a quiet and introverted kind of guy. He goes to work every day then he comes home to the garage apartment he lives in, adjacent to the house he grew up in and is now owned by his brother and sister-in-law.

As his pregnant sister-in-law's due date gets closer, Lars seems to emotionally and physically withdraw from his family and co-workers. Preferring to remain in the comforting small walls of his garage apartment, he starts garnering the concern of his sister-in-law. She fears he is too lonely and when all her attempts to include him and spend more time with him fail it seems all hope is lost. That is till he shows up to dinner one night asking if he can bring his new girlfriend. The excitement and relief Lars' family feels is short lived when his girlfriend ends up being an anatomically correct love doll he has named Bianca.

At the recommendation and guidance of their small town doctor/psychiatrist, Lars' family goes along with his delusion, and then manages to convince the entire town to do the same.

This movie had me laughing out loud and sobbing big ugly tears, I was charmed completely. The situations involving Bianca were equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking. I have never wanted to hug a movie character more than I have wanted to hug Lars; my heart went out to him completely.

I have a friend who hated this movie for the exact same reasons I enjoyed it so much. I loved the fact that the entire town rallied to welcome Bianca, even though they thought it was nuts, just to help a member of the community. I loved all the zany adventures Bianca went on, and I loved the town they lived in. I loved the fact that it was far fetched, but mostly I loved it because that's how a town SHOULD behave. People should go out of there way and do things to help someone in need once in awhile.

With the help of the community, a wonderful doctor, his family and most importantly, Bianca, Lars heals. It's an emotional road to get there, but well worth the journey.

Cherise Everhard, July 2008

Can you imagine sticking it to the doll while he watches?!
Can you imagine getting on top of that doll and sticking it to her while Lars is forced to watch?! I couldn't stop thinking about it. I wanted Lars to cry while he watched me stick to Bianca (the doll) the whole movie.

I want to lick the tears off Lars' face after he watches me have intercourse with the doll in all positions.