Tag: This saccharine soaked slide into the world of the Burns family Thanksgiving celebrations could be a trying time for more cynical viewers.

Three years on Dan (Steve Carrell) is still struggling to cope with the death of his wife. He’s also currently suffering through the disdain of his three daughters, but this doesn’t stop him from writing an advice column that tells others how to live their lives more successfully.

Oh, and while trying to spend an idyllic Thanksgiving with his extended family he falls in love with a woman he discovers to be his brother’s new girlfriend.

With Dan in Real Life writer/director Peter Hedges almost plagiarises himself, having chosen the family-coming-together-for-Thanksgiving-turkey terrain as the subject of his last feature Pieces of April. Both families in question even share ‘Burns’ as their surname.

While Pieces of April was a low-budget dark comedy about a dysfunctional family who are probably glad this sort of celebration only happens once a year. While the Dan in Real Life Burns family are so happy to be spending time with each other playing wholesome games of boys-versus-girls crosswords and touch football that you’d just like to give one of them a nasty case of HIV (or at least a bit of a groin itch).

It is however a fine package. It’s proficiently direct by Hedges, and beautifully photographed by Lawrence Sher in the picturesque, leafy surrounds of Rhode Island. The cast is excellent, with Carrell only slipping into overacting mode once or twice, and the always enjoyable Juliette Binoche is perfect as the object of Dan’s affections. Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson and Marlene Lawston as Dan’s daughters are all excellent, as is Dianne Wiest as the no-nonsense family matriarch.

But as consistently funny as it is, and nice though the veneer may be, Dan in Real Life can’t escape being a big bucket of clichés. It’s a nicely decorated bucket, but a rather shallow one. There are few surprises to be had as things follow the acknowledged rom-com plot conventions, including the abominable final two tacked-on scenes that feel as though they were added by a studio executive who had just finished reading the rom-com plot conventions manual.

Oh, and the title is rubbish (but you knew that).

Dan in Real Life rates 3 stars.