Critic Reviews
Dan in Real Life (2007) Rank 2 Reviews
Expert Review Summary
based on (168) reviews
Click on the numbers to the right of the graph to see reviews of that rating
Reviews by Score:
Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)
Director Peter Hedges overloads his film with characters and then gives them nothing interesting to do. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Metromix.com (Geoff Berkshire)
New York Times (A.O. Scott)
Dan in Real Life is neither wildly farcical nor mockingly cruel, but rather, for the most part, winningly gentle and observant. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at New York Times (A.O. Scott)
Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
The heart is there, and the message gets you. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
IGN Movies (Todd Gilchrist)
Carell can't rescue this sometimes-charming romantic comedy from its real problems. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at IGN Movies (Todd Gilchrist)
filmcritic.com (Sean O'Connell)
Hedges might be making a basic peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich of a feature, but he cuts the crusts off the white bread because he knows that's how we like it. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at filmcritic.com (Sean O'Connell)
Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
It's like the cream-and-sugar decaf version of The 40-Year-Old Virgin --sweet enough, but nothing that will keep you from dozing off. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Metromix.com (Matt Pais)
Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
The film is not just laid-back, it's nearly catatonic. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Antagony & Ecstasy (Tim Brayton)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Steve Carell’s new movie is a revelation. Assuming that is you’ve found yourself wondering what it would be like to see the star of The Office in a different sitcom. Following on the heels of raunchfests like "Knocked Up," "Superbad" and "The Heartbre ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Dan Burns (Steve Carrell) is a high-minded advice columnist who is the widowed father of three young daughters, 8-year old Lily (Marlene Lawston), 15-year-old Cara (Brittany Robertson), and 17-year-old Jane (Alison Pitt). The two older daughters have ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at
Bullz-Eye.com
You’d be hard pressed to find a movie as contrived as “Dan in Real Life,” so it’s a good thing that the movie has charm to spare. The movie gets by almost entirely because of the performance in the lead role by Steve Carell, who takes a deeply fla ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
ShowBIZ Data
Dan in Real Life , starring Steve Carell, is a nice enough movie, most critics seem to agree, but as Joe Morgenstern observes in the Wall Street Journal, "Pleasing moments don't add up to a feature film, even though this one strives desperately for ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at ShowBIZ Data
The Reel McCoy (Patrick McCoy)
Like everyone else who has seen this movie, my sole motivation was to see Steve Carell. I simply think that he is the funniest actor out there today, and will thus be excited to see anything that he is in. Not surprisingly, I am also a big fan of the TV ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at The Reel McCoy (Patrick McCoy)
Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)
A sweet, mildly quirky romcom. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Jam! Movies (Jim Slotek)
Laramie Movie Scope (Robert Roten)
Empire Magazine [UK]
Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Knowingly examines romance, parenthood, grief and betrayal, but succumbs slightly to simplistic sentimentality. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Shadows on the Wall (Rich Cline)
Film Snobs (Stephen Himes)
Like a well-done Produce Pete sketch, Carell peels back layers of banality covering the bitterness underneath. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Film Snobs (Stephen Himes)
ShowBizCafe.com (Mack Chico)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Eye for Film (Anton Bitel)
There is no mistaking Hedges' film for anything other than a saccharine corn-fest, but what keeps it from palling entirely is the strength of the ensemble performances, and the smartly understated writing. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Eye for Film (Anton Bitel)
Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
Like the recent Feast of Love, Dan in Real Life proves that a great cast isn’t always able to elevate a poorly constructed picture beyond the level of mediocrity. I’m not sure what has happened to co-writer/director Peter Hedges’ since he made 2003â ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Bucket Reviews (Danny Baldwin)
The Popkorn Junkie
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
This love-triangle romance that plays out among Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook during a family reunion is a surprisingly plain, sappy -- even insipid -- comedy considering the filmmaker behind it. Director and co-writer Peter Hedges made a ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
New York Daily News
Cinema Crazed (Felix Vasquez Jr.)
It's sadly just a mixed bag of hits and misses... ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Cinema Crazed (Felix Vasquez Jr.)
St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Carell makes it worthwhile (Dane Cook almost makes it not worthwhile). ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at St. Paul Pioneer Press (Chris Hewitt (St. Paul))
Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
In the end, the commercial necessity of wrapping up a family comedy in less than 100 minutes seems to have trumped anything real about Dan's life. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Globe and Mail (Liam Lacey)
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) (Greg Maki)
Aside from Dan himself, nothing about the movie feels real. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) (Greg Maki)
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) (John Wirt)
Dan In Real Life is neither bad nor particularly good. It's simply more disposable, soon to be forgotten, entertainment. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA) (John Wirt)
Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
[Carell's] uncanny ability to make us care what happens to him salvages Dan in Real Life . ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Miami Herald (Connie Ogle)
Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
A mediocre and unbelievable romantic comedy. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Newark Star-Ledger (Stephen Whitty)
Boston Globe
I think I'd respect Peter Hedges more if he just came out and admitted he's a big old softie. The novelist ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape") turned screenwriter ("About a Boy") turned director ("Pieces of April") apparently thinks he's cutting through the ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Boston Globe
Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
The setup of this comedy by director-cowriter Peter Hedges and some subsequent twists may be contrived, and the laughs aren't very plentiful, but much of the behavior seems real, and the able cast makes the most of it. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
The movie has its charms, especially the performances, but they're not the charms of family togetherness and finding love after loss that the movie so sappily tries to pound home near the end. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Mark Reviews Movies (Mark Dujsik)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Steve Carell certainly hasn’t taken long to descend into the Steve Martin Syndrome—the move from goofy, edgy comedies (or ambitious oddities like “Pennies from Heaven”) into family pabulum like “Parenthood” or the “Father of the Bride” mov ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Village Voice (Robert Wilonsky)
One could fill this entire space with the titles of films from which writer-director Peter Hedges nicks his story. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Village Voice (Robert Wilonsky)
Slant Magazine (Nick Schager)
Steve Carell's pursed-lipped awkwardness and sweet buffoonery are both in fine form, but those endearing qualities aren't nearly enough to salvage Peter Hedges's incorrigibly hackneyed film. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Slant Magazine (Nick Schager)
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
It's as if the producers of Spanglish had asked Adam Sandler to do his Opera Man routine here and there. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) (Josh Larsen)
Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Dan In Real Life wants to offer it all -- a fine sentiment when a movie can pull it off, an example of trying too hard when it doesn't. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Time Out New York (David Fear)
We’ve seen Steve Carell do goofy romantic (The 40-Year-Old Virgin), but can he handle a role that’s simply romantic? Dan in Real Life aims to convince viewers that the comedian’s amiable doofus persona earmarks him to be the next Tom Hanks (somethin ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Time Out New York (David Fear)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Most romantic comedies follow conventional formulas that, when they work, can result in a frothy, enjoyable end product - admittedly, not something to challenge the intellect but enough to cause the heart to skip a beat or two. When those formulas turn ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
USA Today (Claudia Puig)
Nearly everybody likes pancakes. And everyone enjoys a good love story played out with two deserving, likable folks. So one would think Dan in Real Life couldn't go wrong. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at USA Today (Claudia Puig)
Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
The kind of sentimental, patently false romantic pandering whose idea of resolving a scene is for everyone to engage in some cute form of eccentric group activity. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
Dan in Real Life wants desperately to be loved. It includes a few laughs...but with all its cloying, tone-deaf attempts at genuine emotional warmth, all it really deserves is to be avoided. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Baltimore Sun (Chris Kaltenbach)
Christian Science Monitor (Robert Koehler)
Bad movies invariably stem from bad ideas, and the worst of the several rancid ideas packed inside of Dan in Real Life is that Steve Carell could be the new Alan Alda. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Christian Science Monitor (Robert Koehler)
Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
[Binoche's] complicated, heartfelt performance is the reason to see the film: When she's around, she pierces the soothing gray nothingness with shafts of sunlight. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Charlotte Observer (Lawrence Toppman)
TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Comfortable and enjoyable in an unpushy sort of way. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at TheMovieBoy.com (Dustin Putman)
Salon (Stephanie Zacharek)
Then again, that's part of what movies are supposed to do for us: to make sure the windows haven't been painted shut, that they continue to open out. Cook's Mitch is perpetually semi-shaven, as if he were desperately trying to grow a personality: At ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Salon (Stephanie Zacharek)
San Jose Mercury News (Bruce Newman)
The sort of movie that wears down your resistance until, finally, you feel as if something must be wrong with you if you don't fall for the cheap theatrics of its story and the emotional manipulations of its characters. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at San Jose Mercury News (Bruce Newman)
Film School Rejects (Nate Deen)
Dan in Real Life is simply a film that doesn’t live up to what its title and slogan promises. As far as the movie feeling like real life goes, this is far from it, despite a few honest and sincere moments. The slogan for the film is “plan to be ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Film School Rejects (Nate Deen)
Wall Street Journal (Joe Morgenstern)
No sooner than you're stirred by something surprising or genuinely sweet, you're shaken by another piece of shtick. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Wall Street Journal (Joe Morgenstern)
Philadelphia Weekly (Sean Burns)
...about as pleasant as a movie can get without actually being any good. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Philadelphia Weekly (Sean Burns)
FilmJudge (David Mercier)
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
If this is "real life," then count me out. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
TheMovieChicks.com (Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone)
In the movie world, these characters might have been interesting, but in real life, they were too one-dimensional to make you want them to find true love. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at TheMovieChicks.com (Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone)
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
If this is "real life," then count me out. It's not that there's anything terribly awful with it; it's just that what passes for real life in this film is as genially inoffensive and predictable as the average TV sitcom. Audiences are sure to reward Dan ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
If these people actually existed, I'd suggest avoiding contact for fear of contracting terminal insipidity. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) (Ken Hanke)
The Critical Critics
ReelTalk (Adam J. Hakari)
I like to review films with all the fairness I can muster both as a critic and a fan, taking on each movie -- no matter how lame -- with at least some semblance of hope. However, regarding Dan in Real Life, you'll be hearing more from the latter fella ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at ReelTalk (Adam J. Hakari)
Los Angeles CityBeat (Andy Klein)
A complete waste of some wonderful talent. ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Los Angeles CityBeat (Andy Klein)
Orlando Weekly (John Thomason)
The movie is called Dan in Real Life, but it’s a stretch worthy of Reed Richards to believe that anything in this tepid plate of idiocy would actually happen in real life. Its inciting incident is a meet-cute so stale it wouldn’t hold mustard in a ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Orlando Weekly (John Thomason)
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Dan in Real Life is an odd title for a movie that hasn't the slightest concept of real life. Clueless newspaper columnist and widower Dan (Steve Carell) heads with his three ...read the complete Dan in Real Life movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
from $11.40 (19 sellers)
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! My Web
Facebook
Google Bookmarks
ma.gnolia
Newsvine
reddit
Windows Live
