主播大秀

At first glance, the story of a man who strikes up a relationship with a life-sized sex doll doesn't sound like the basis for a scintillating movie - except perhaps in certain 'adult entertainment' circles. Yet Lars And The Real Girl is just that - a sweet, touching beautifully crafted film which tackles some tricky themes with a great deal of sensitivity and warm-hearted humour.

At its centre is an astonishingly good performance from Ryan Gosling - scandalously overlooked at Oscar time this year - as Lars, a pathologically shy young man who lives in his brother's garage in the sort of American town where everybody knows everybody else. His pregnant sister-in-law (Mortimer) frets about him, his new colleague (Garner) tries to get to know him better, with little success, and the townspeople just want him to fall in love. So when he announces he has a girlfriend, the mysterious 'Bianca', it's quite a surprise - one which quickly turns to shock when Bianca is revealed to be a plastic pal from a 'real dolls' website. Sweet-natured Lars, however, quickly sheds her slutty image, swapping her miniskirts and fishnets for Mortimer's mumsy clothes, installing her in their spare room, and creating a life for her in which she is a half-Brazilian missionary in a wheelchair.

"A SWEET, TOUCHING, BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED FILM"

He's delusional of course, but on the advice of his doctor (Patricia Clarkson), the town is advised to go along with Lars' story - and soon they've taken the doll to their hearts, to the extent that she becomes one of the community. And here's where the film excels - initially there's plenty of comic value to be had from the situation (notably in a hilariously awkward scene where Lars' family meet Bianca for the first time), but as the action unfolds, and we learn more about the reason for Lars' odd behaviour, Bianca seems to take on a life of her own. So much so that when an unexpected twist comes along, it's tragic rather than funny - the masterstroke in this unlikely but charming romance. It'll be a hard-hearted moviegoer indeed who isn't a tad misty-eyed by the time the credits roll.

Lars And The Real Girl is out in the UK on 21st March 2008.