Re: 2007 Film List
Dan in Real Life - 9 of 10
I'm holding off rating this a 10 because I expect it to go up in my estimation. fabulous performances, a spot on script and an extended family dynamic that is so much like my own extended family that I was gasping from laughter at so many little 'family jokes' moments throughout the film. I'm going right out and buying it my next paycheck, absolutely fabulous and my new number four for the year, very likely to become my number two or one.
Steve Carrell's best performance by a mile, and for some reason made me recall Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby (many times throughout the film) though this is not a screwball comedy.
When they did the family fun night talent show I was dying with laughter. likewise the competitive crosswords. So incredibly brilliant, and the script is very tight, little things that are planted and seeded throughout the film come back in to play afterwards, the comedy continues to pay off in ways you wouldn't expect based on the foundation laid in the opening minutes (as well as throughout the film) and the writer and director build the emotional qualities of the film naturally out of the comedy as an integral part of it rather than as a separate element. there's something so old fashioned about that it's breathtaking.
Adam
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