LARS AND THE REAL GIRL 4**** This is one of the most remarkably original films that I have ever seen, providing a refreshing comment about what we can learn from one another if we approach each other's frailties with kindness and understanding. It is a funny but gentle and thought-provoking movie.

It has a central premise that sounds so odd on the surface that I suspect many potential viewers will simply recoil from it in distaste. After all, how would you react if I only told you that this was a film about a painfully shy young man who embarks on a deeply serious and heartfelt relationship with a life-size doll? I suspect that many of you might be inclined to say "no thanks". That may be true but it would be your unfortunate loss because this movie is about so much more than an unusual premise–it is a sweet, hilarious and surprisingly moving fable that is not only one of the best films that I have seen so far this year, it may well be one of the finest, strangest and most emotional romantic comedy-dramas to come along in a while.

Our hero is Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling), a young man living in a small town. At first glance, Lars appears to be normal enough–he is polite and presentable–but as we soon discover, a crucial switch in his head has never flipped and, as a result, he has been stuck with an extreme case of shyness. Despite the fact that everyone who knows him adores him, he spends virtually all of his time hunkered down in his garage apartment, while trying to dodge nightly dinner invitations from his well-meaning sister-in-law who lives in the main house with his brother. One night Lars comes to their house to introduce them to his new girlfriend, Bianca, and to ask them if she can stay with them since he and she are deeply religious and don't believe in sex before marriage. They agree. To Lars, Bianca is a beautiful, special woman he can finally open up to; but, in fact, she is a plastic, anatomically correct sex doll purchased on the Internet. If that weren’t strange enough, Lars treats her as though she were a real person–he has conversations with her and even pushes her around in a wheelchair.

The next day, his brother takes Lars and Bianca to the local doctor (Patricia Clarkson, who is terrific in this part), ostensibly to give Bianca a check-up but actually to see if Lars has finally cracked up. Her diagnosis is that there is nothing actually wrong with him at all and that the best thing to do regarding Bianca is to pretend she is real and simply let it play out over time.

An intriguing aspect of the story is what happens when Lars takes Bianca to church, to the local mall, and even to an office party. I won't tell because a big part of the joy of this movie is experiencing these scenarios and the people's reactions. As time goes on, the relationship between Lars and Bianca changes and evolves in surprising ways before concluding in a unique and heartfelt manner.

The greatest single element in the picture’s success is Ryan Gosling, who makes Lars sympathetic rather than simply pathetic and captures the character’s pain and neediness with consummate skill. Pay special attention to his scenes with Bianca...they are exceptionally well done. It’s a rich and endearing performance. Like the film it supports, his work is a strange and quirky treasure that is not to be missed.

NOTE: This is a PG-13 and only has very mild sexual references. There is no sex.. real or implied. The movie isn't about sex despite the fact it involves a "sex doll". It's about emotional connections and the la