Dan In Real Life

The US release of this movie was in October 2007.
Directed by Peter Hedges whose resume behind the camera is light. As one of the writers Hedges worked with Pierce Gardner. Hedges had previously worked on the script for What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
The cast.....

• Steve Carell as Dan Burns, the columnist and father of three. Carell is best known for his role as the office manager in the television show "The Office". Big screen roles include a part and the suicidal uncle in "Little Miss Sunshine".
• Juliette Binoche and the world travelled and beautiful Marie. Binoche is well known from her part in "Chocolat" where she played Vianne Rocher.
• Dane Cook as Mitch Burns, Dan's younger brother. A regular stand up comedian, perfect for the role as the shallow younger brother.
• Dianne Wiest as Nana, Dan's mother. Weist has worked in everything at one time or another. Her best part was as Holly in Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters".
• John Mahoney as Poppy, Dan's father. Mahoney is another well traveled actor, having time in serial television shows "Cheers" and "Frazier" as well as the big screen in "Moonstruck"and "Say Anything....".

The plot is.....
Dan Burns is a widower with school aged three girls. His profession is a newspaper columnist, writer of the serial article titled "Dan in Real Life", in which he gives family advice. As the single parent he has fallen into being overprotective and in constantly the source of his daughters scorn. As family trip to the Rhode Island homestead comes at a time when the youngest daughter is wanting attention, the middle daughter is in the throes of puppy love and the oldest daughter want to work on getting her driver's licence. Depressed from the onslaught of bitchy daughter and missing his wife, Nan sends Dan out for the newspaper. In fetching the paper, Dan meeting the beautiful Marie in the seaport bookstore. There is an immediate and mutual attraction, but Marie is called away by a phone call. Dan gets back to the house and is happily telling his brother about the woman he just met when the brother's girlfriend walks in, of course it's Marie.
After a number of stressful and comical scenes, Marie leaves the brother. Dan chases after Marie. The family finds them together and are aghast. Dan's daughters convince him to go after Marie and the movie ends with them getting married at the homestead.
A very nice movie, gets a score of 30 of 50, a good score. I think you should watch this movie.

• Character development 6 of 10. Dan breaks out of depression and his girls help.
• Screenplay 6 of 10. Comfortable feel.
• Acting 6 of 10. Better than I expected.
• Cinematography 6 of 10. Great scenery, the house was perfect, the rainy misty RI seashore captured.
• Concept 6 of 10.

The soundtrack was all original music for the movie, written by Sondre Lerche and performed by his band Sondre Lerche and the Faces Down. Top notch in the mold of the soundtrack for Harold & Maude and the Graduate.