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Dan in Real Life

Dan in Real Life

Comedy · Romance · Drama · 2007

Advice columnist Dan Burns is an expert on relationships, but somehow struggles to succeed as a brother, a son and a single parent to three precocious daughters. Things get even more complicated when Dan finds out that the woman he falls in love with is actually his brother's new girlfriend.

Movie details

Dan in Real Life

“Something's happening to Dan. It's confusing. It's awkward. It's family.”

2007 Comedy · Romance · Drama 1h 38m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

Advice columnist Dan Burns is an expert on relationships, but somehow struggles to succeed as a brother, a son and a single parent to three precocious daughters. Things get even more complicated when Dan finds out that the woman he falls in love with is actually his brother's new girlfriend.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Dan in Real Life?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Peter Hedges

Written by

Peter Hedges · Pierce Gardner

Steve Carell

Steve Carell

Dan

Juliette Binoche

Juliette Binoche

Marie

Dane Cook

Dane Cook

Mitch

John Mahoney

John Mahoney

Poppy

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt

Ruthie Draper

Alison Pill

Alison Pill

Jane

Britt Robertson

Britt Robertson

Cara

Court is in session

Put Dan in Real Life on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.