Not so much "boy meets girl" as "boy orders girl over the Internet", Lars and the Real Girl is an adorably oddball "comedy" about how a community gathers around a young man who forms a full-fledged relationship with a sex doll.

I say "comedy" in quotes because, although the film does have many humorous touches and observations, it does deal with the much darker issue of mental illness. Lars (a sweet and innocent turn by Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling) is a young man traumatized by family tragedy who lives alone in the garage of his late parents' home.

He is socially awkward and has a phobia of personal contact, which makes things difficult for new co-worker Margo (Kelli Garner), who has a crush on him. His brother Gus (Paul Schneider) and pregnant sister-in-law Karin (Emily Mortimer) hover with concern, but they don't realize the extent of his problems until Lars introduces them to his new girlfriend, Bianca.

Bianca is no mere mortal: not only is she an anatomically-correct and amazingly realistic sex doll, but they also discover that Lars has concocted an entire history for Bianca. He pushes her around in a wheelchair and has lengthy conversations with her. In short, he's completely, besottedly in love with her.

Karin and Gus trick Lars into taking Bianca for a checkup with the town doctor (a stoic but tenderly sympathetic performance by Patricia Clarkson), who diagnoses Lars with a delusional disorder. She recommends that the best course of action is for Gus and Karin to go along with Lars' fantasy, in the hopes that it will work its natural course and resolve whatever issues Lars is grappling with inside.

Their little northern farming community sheds its prejudices and preconceptions to embrace Lars and Bianca as a couple, supporting Lars as he traces the full arc of a deeply emotional relationship, and hopefully paving the way for a brighter future with a real companion.

Besides the film itself, the DVD contains two 15-minute featurettes, one very short deleted scene (which really doesn't add much to the story) and the theatrical trailer. The first featurette is a series of interviews with cast and crew about the inspiration and development of the story and script, and the specter of mental illness that looms over the story. The second is about the "Real Doll" who "played" Bianca, in which various cast and crew members take a humorous look at their silicone diva and find out what's really under that wig (all in the best possible taste of course).

Special Features:

• The Real Story of Lars and the Real Girl Featurette
• A Real Leading Lady Featurette
• Deleted Scene
• Theatrical Trailer

This DVD doesn't quite earn the five-star rating because it doesn't bundle much in the way of extra features, but with its charming story and touching performances by Gosling, Clarkson and Mortimer in particular, Lars and the Real Girl will make a heartwarming addition to anyone's DVD collection.

This Reviewer's Rating: 4.5 / 5

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."