Dan in Real Life

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Dan in Real Life

PG-13

2007

1h 38m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

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166 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Dan Burns (Steve Carell), a widower and advice columnist, meets a beautiful stranger (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore and is instantly smitten. Unfortunately the woman, named Marie, is already involved with Dan's charismatic brother (Dane Cook). As a weekend family gathering gets underway, Dan and Marie try to hide their mutual attraction, but fall in love anyway.

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Critics Consensus

The fine performances elevate Dan in Real Life beyond its sentimental plot.

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Alonso Duralde

MSNBC

Alas, [Hedges'] forays behind the camera with Pieces of April and now Dan in Real Life indicate he's got Sundance intentions but a Hallmark Channel soul.

Rated: 2/5

May 1, 2008

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

It's amiable enough, but the ickiness levels are too high and Juliette Binoche always looks uncomfortable in this shallow-end material.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 11, 2008

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Catherine Chambers

BBC.com

It's the unlikely chemistry between Binoche and Carell coupled with Carell's impeccable comic timing (watch out for the shower scene) that keeps you glued to the screen.

Rated: 4/5

Jan 11, 2008

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Bárbara Escamilla

Cinemanía (Spain)

Falls short. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2/5

Nov 5, 2020

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Binoche takes the fairly one-note character of Marie and allows her to blossom.

Rated: 3.0/4.0

Sep 5, 2020

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Mike Scott

Times-Picayune

A charming, though occasionally off-target -- and consistently tempo-challenged -- romantic comedy.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 9, 2009

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Carlos I

Its a fun little rom-com anchored by a charming performance from Steve Carell, delivering exactly the kind of sweet, slightly awkward family humor you'd expect. While the movie has aspirations to be a quirky indie flick, the film's familiar romantic tropes and predictable beats mean it falls just short of that, settling instead into a pleasant, if unremarkable, piece of mainstream comfort viewing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/12/25

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Joshua L

While it was predictable, as all rom coms are, and the family dynamics seem unrealistic, I didn't expect Carell to make me cry in his portrayal as a widowed father of 3 girls. I am always a fan of anything Steve is in. While it's definitely not one of my favorite rom coms, it's still a fun one to watch with your partner. It's light hearted and doesn't take itself too seriously. As much as I didn't buy the family dynamics and relationships in this, like all the games and activities they all did together which I found annoying, it was heartwarming to see them all doing things together and enjoying each other's company, even if it felt a bit too much at times. I had no expectations coming into this movie and I knew nothing about it before watching it and I left with a tear in my eye from Carells heartwarming performance as a father. He had a good character arc in this where he grew and learned to love again and be vulnerable and honest with himself.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/04/25

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Madam D

A sweet movie, but unrealistic in every way. If you enjoy rom-coms u will like it a lot.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/09/25

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Audience Member

No, man. What is this...

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/05/25

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Wendel L

Direção: Ok Atuação: Bom Roteiro: Bom Caracterização: Ok Soundtrack: Ok

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/09/25

Full Review

Russell P

I should have stopped watching this movie the first time I felt the urge to turn it off. Instead I sat through 5 moments of having the urge to turn it off and walk away. That time is gone forever. This movie suuuuuucks. Unrealistic, not funny.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

Full Review

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Peter Hedges

Director

Steve Carell

Dan

Juliette Binoche

Marie

Dane Cook

Mitch

Alison Pill

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Dianne Wiest

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Synopsis

Dan Burns (Steve Carell), a widower and advice columnist, meets a beautiful stranger (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore and is instantly smitten. Unfortunately the woman, named Marie, is already involved with Dan's charismatic brother (Dane Cook). As a weekend family gathering gets underway, Dan and Marie try to hide their mutual attraction, but fall in love anyway.

Director: Peter Hedges
Producer: Jonathan Shestack, Brad Epstein
Screenwriter: Pierce Gardner, Peter Hedges
Distributor: Buena Vista
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Jon Shestack
Rating: PG-13 (Some Innuendo)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $47.6M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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