Happiness is a warm plastic doll

Every year an independent film comes along that truly inspires and moves an audience by bringing together brilliant writing, acting and directing. This year, "Lars and the Real Girl" is that film. \nRyan Gosling plays Lars, a painfully shy recluse in an isolated New England town. At the limits of his loneliness, he orders a life-sized sex doll. But instead of using the doll for its usual purpose, he treats it as his girlfriend "Bianca." His brother and sister-in-law are dumbfounded and take him to the family doctor Dagmar, played by Patricia Clarkson. She says Bianca is a delusion that they must allow to take its toll on Lars. The only thing for his family and town to do is play along, so Bianca becomes a part of the community. She volunteers at the local hospital, attends social gatherings and reads to children. \nCertain elements of this film are simply hilarious. Lars often does the little things a doting boyfriend would do, only he does them to an inanimate object. In one of the most memorable scenes, he serenades Bianca with Nat King Cole's spelling ballad "L-O-V-E." \nBut as the film progresses, the laughing stops as one begins to understand the underlying reasons behind Lars' love for Bianca. The audience sees his lifelong struggle with intimacy as he tells Dagmar about his incapability to be touched by anyone but Bianca. Even as he and Bianca argue, it is clearly due to his fear of abandonment. \nIt is primarily because of Gosling's shining performance that one can really empathize with Lars. The actor showed his true ability in last year's "Half Nelson," which garnered him an Oscar nomination. His role in "Lars and the Real Girl" only further demonstrates his talent as he takes on comedy and drama. \nSomewhere along the way, Lars becomes more in touch with reality. Perhaps this is when he realizes his feelings toward his sweet and compassionate co-worker Margo, played by Kelli Garner. But he also understands that all the efforts his townspeople make for Bianca are because of their love for him. As his sister-in-law suggests in the beginning of the film, people naturally need other people. In Lars' case, it just takes a sex doll for him to realize that. \nIn the end, "Lars and the Real Girl" leaves you with a hopeful view of the human spirit.