Dan in Real Life

A widower and father of three who also writes a parenting advice column for his local newspaper falls for the girlfriend of his younger brother during a family vacation in director Peter Hedges' offbeat love triangle laugher. Steve Carell stars as the writer who finds his widely-known convictions ...more

An irrepressible sweetness lies at the core of Peter Hedges' romantic comedy Dan in Real Life that makes it difficult to resist. We've seen the central characters and situations dozens of times before, and the script (which Hedges co-authored with Pierce Gardner) will never be mistaken for having any depth, but Steve Carell's winning evocation of a loveable, semi-sad sack everyman widower gives the film a buoyancy that makes it transcendently, adamantly likeable. That may be more of a compliment ...more