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1 comments
Rank This Matchup or Comment/Reply Below
on 5/27/2013
No coments? Ok. I'll confess that Lars and the Real Girl caught me off guard; I wasn't aware for about 20-25 minutes that I was watching a film about mental illness. Hence it really took me a long time to warm up to it as I assumed it was being deliberately cooky and whimsical. As it developed it got much better, and there was a lot of subtle stuff relating to Ryan Gosling's condition (who incidentally was exceptional). SLP on the other hand was slightly more accessible and straight-line plot-wise, but I think the level of acting and dialogue writing was consistently higher than that of Lars, despite the latter having a better lead and a better story arc. Overall, I think SLP wins on the basis that I want to watch it again more. Ultimately neither is to my taste per sei, but I think they're both good films which accomplished their goals of conveying mental illness in a positive/less heavy light remarkably well.
on 10/10/2013
One of the best things about film is that, when done well, it can teach us a great deal. Lars and the Real Girl is the absolute best film about helping someone with mental illness. It is a beautiful portrayal of how a community can come together to help someone they care about. The brilliance of Lars and the Real Girl is that it doesn't ever force the message it is trying to send and ultimately, gives us a perfect guide to how we can help someone in need. Silver Linings Playbook has the A list actors and director and is a powerful film, but Lars and the Real Girl is better.
