Dan in Real Life trailer and poster

Posted by Chris

August 10, 2007

Steve Carell is bounding back after the drubbing he took over Evan Almighty with Dan in Real Life, a decidedly smaller-scale comedy. This one is more of a romantic comedy, involving a love triangle of Carell, Juliette Binoche and Dane Cook. Carell plays a widowed father of three who writes a parenting column and tries to put his life back together.

This poster – in addition to the movie itself – sounds like it plays much more to Carell’s strengths of a mix of physical and situational comedy. I don’t mean the latter in the “sitcom” sense but just the comedy that comes out of real life situations people find themselves in.

There’s also a trailer that’s been released for the flick that more or less completely contradicts the poster. The one-sheet sells the movie as a comedy and a wacky one at that. But the trailer is dripping with emotion and drama and such. It sells the movie as the story of a man who’s trying to do the best he can in life managing all his responsibilities who sees something that he wants but is afraid to act selfishly. THIS is the Steve Carell that I enjoy the most, the one who’s so effortless in the role of someone who’s just trying to be a good person but isn’t quite so sure how to do that. Honestly I watched this trailer and there are so many moments where Carell is so naturalistic in his approach it’s mind-boggling. This might be one of my favorite trailers of the year so far.

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