Way over the top and predictable...unlikeable characters.

Horrible movie. A love affair so unoriginal it, it made the poor acting stick out like a sore thumb. Far too frequent smatterings of family-bonding montages to fool the audience into thinking that it's actually family movie. It's about 50% montage, 25% watching empty characters flap lips at each other, 25% somewhere on the editing room floor. Don't try to resist the urge to walk out, thinking it might get better. It doesn't.… Expand

The latest bomb from Steve Carrel, the new millenium's answer to C. Thomas Howell. Great songs by Lerche but the movie moves at a snail's pace and Dane Cook's cameo was vomit-enducing.

Pap. The characters exist only to create dilemmas for the romantic leads. Steve Carrell does his best, but the writing is uninspired.

Terrible. I usually find Steve Carell to be enjoyable, I wasn't aware Dane Cook was featured, but in spite of that I don't think I've ever seen a movie that made me as miserable as "Dan In Real Life". There is absolutely nothing real about it. Just a whole bunch of cliches, a bunch of unrealistic situations and some unlikeable characters in a pretty "New England" house. As predictable as can be, not funny at all and has recurring things that are just annoying. Ohhh the cop is coming back to ticket him - comic gold! I really wish i never saw this movie. I don't blame any of the actors. Horrible script. Its hard to believe anyone over the age/maturity/insight level of 20 years wrote this script.… Expand

They should give you a spatula to scrape all the cheese off this movie...awful.

A film truly without any direction, almost all the characters here are truly unlikable (Dan thinks he's found the love of his life just because he blabbed on and on to her for an hour, and we're supposed to like his daughters even though they despise him just because they didn't get their way). A trully AWFUL ending as well. This movie actually reminded me of RV, except here, in addition to the supporting characters all being unlikable (or likable characters being pushed as unlikable ones), the main characters is also equally hard to find merit in. Honestly, the "real life" part of the title may be the biggest lie of the year, if I ever saw a family this dysfunctional, I'd call them a therapist right away. Skip Dan In Real Life, you'll find nothing but pointless frustration to be found.… Expand

What are the critics smoking? This drippy,sappy, and predictable film is completely overrated. Steve Carell is competent in his first semi-serious role, but alas, the script is a Walmart special! Any human being with a brain at least the size of a pea could predict the ending. Also, do we really need cheesy family values slammed down our throats! I mean c'mon, talent shows and aerobics, give me a break! Skip this movie, you've already seen and loathed it a million times before!… Expand

Steve Carrell and Juliette Binoche can do much better. Everything feels far to contrived. The family dynamic that is portrayed seems deeply out of touch with reality. A few laughs can be found, but overall the movie limps to the inevitable "feel good" ending.

The draw of

This movie was sooooo......I don't know. Such a normal, mediocre movie. It is something I could see becoming my mom's favorite movie. I love Steve Carell in The Office and Little MIss Sunshine but I absolutely hated this movie. I give it a 4 because a) everyone loves it and b) Steve Carell is in it.

There's little to get excited about "Dan in Real Life". First off, the whole setup is incredibly contrived. Did you really believe that during that very long first meeting conversation at the restaurant, Marie wouldn't have told Dan where she was going? And since Dan did all the talking during that conversation, why would she be so attracted to him? For that matter, I never figured out why Marie was so attracted to Dan throughout the movie. He's very narcissistic and does little to convince us that he's truly a good guy (for example he lies to Marie in the bookstore, ridicules his brother about his past girlfriends and tries to make Marie jealous with a 'blind date'). There's more contrivance such as that ridiculous scene at the bowling alley where Dan and Marie are caught making out by the whole family. Yeah like that could really happen. Dan in Real life is slow-paced, sappy and manipulative. Even chick flicks like The Jane Austen Book Club get higher marks than this predictable "tearjerker".… Expand

Bring a dentist, because you will need fillings after being force fed this sugary-sweet mixture of "family fun" and "unbelievable attraction." What family engages in male vs. female crossword competitions and forced morning calisthenics? Nazi bookworms! The situations the characters get into a forced and contrived and this "family" is a walking J. Crew ad posing as a real family. They9;re picture perfect until one brother punches the other in the face, and no one in the family seems to care. Totally unbelievable. The only saving graces were about five funny lines from Carrell, who does his best to salvage this film.… Collapse

Boring. Never goes anywhere and a complete waste of my time. May have had a good idea to present, but was horriable at doing. All I could think was "when will this be over". Wouldn't suggest this form of torture for anyone.

Amazing!

Spoon fed pablum. Left mid-way. But you might enjoy it if you have a delusional saccharin view of life and want something that won't challange or threaten that. Have fun!

Should be called, DAMN UNREAL LIFE - that would be much accurate... the only thing worse than the script is the direction and it turns out the same guy did both... who puts up the money for these things??? That's two in a row for me, I saw FEAST OF LOVE (it's even more contrived if you can believe that!) also BAD. I'm also at the point where I'm willing to pay money not to see DANE COOK in a movie -- EVER AGAIN! What so he's funny on stage he must be able to act? Why doesn't Meryl Streep take over for Jon Stewart then??? Who runs these studios?… Expand

The most contrived, unoriginal movie of 2007 by a mile. It was like Touchstone got their hands on a copy of "The Family Stone", made a few minor changes and called it "Dan in Real Life". The problem is that this movie is even WORSE. The family was so grating, saccharine and unrealistic every time they engaged in some "family activity" - outdoor aerobics, battle of the sexes crossword puzzles, charades, talent show - that I didn't know whether to scream or vomit. I don't know what the critics were thinking when they saw this string of cliches trying to pass itself off as a movie, but they've seen this movie before, and so have you.… Expand

I read Ebert's review of the movie and thought, 3 stars, it can't be bad. Maaan was Ebert ever F'ed up on this one. Depressing, Masculinely embarassing, Stupid, and mostly, oh wait, I already said it was embarassing to men. Steve Carell, while awesome in 40 year old virgin, was an absolute whining, wussy, pansy in this movie. Grab a pair of balls Steve and stand up for yourself. I couldn't make myself play the character he did no matter how much they paid me. Long story short. Stay the hell away from this movie!!!!!!!!… Expand

I can't get over how horrible this movie was. There's a couple of scenes where Steve Carell's comic persona rises to the surface, but I spent the entire time wishing that someone would come in and arrest all these obnoxious characters. This is a painful movie to watch.

Got this movie from the rental video and actually stopped watching halfway thru the movie.. I couldn't stand; 1) The cheesy feel good family scenes 2) The whole family falling head over heels over Juliette Binoche's character.. which I feel is totally NOT realistic 3) Juliette Binoche's character's labeled as pretty, beautiful etc.. which I can't see it at all.. I'm totally baffled in what they see in her?!?! Throw her in the mall and I bet ya that you wouldn't give her a second look.… Expand

This was part of our double-feature at a drive-in where we saw Enchanted. Basically, we could have watched it for free. Within an hour, we turned off the sound and played the hand slapping game until Enchanted came on again. It was boring and pointless; not the least bit engaging.

Sickening cloying cliche-filled flick that made me reach for the Maalox. You can see every solution to every plot line a mile away. The only thing I liked in this movie was the house...and the relief of the credits at the end.

Very strange movie. I was waiting for it to turn surreal - I thought maybe they were making it bad on purpose. But no, this is supposed to be a real movie with real outdoor morning aerobics for the family and even a talent show with costumes. Reminded me of a Cosby Show episode. Maybe it was a computer generated script - I wouldn't be surprised as they seem to think the more CG the better.

Quite possibly the most boring movie I've ever seen. The characters are boring, the story is boring and the comedy falls flat.

I wish Hollywood could come up with more quality movies these days and not these mediocre flicks .. This is reallly a contrived, boring story. True you'll find worse movies but wish I had skipped this one

Horribe, horrible movie. If I'm on the fence about a movie, I usually read a review or two to see what other people think. I should have heeded the warnings of Dave White, but I went. It's all just an emotionally shallow family dramedy that only scrapes human emotion. Stay away!

It was very sappy;belongs on TV.

I have never been to bible camp but watching this movie made me feel as if I had. If I had to spend 1 hour with this family at their cabin I would hope that there were no sharp objects around because i would do myself in .Very undeserving of a 65 rating.

Nothing real about this movie: cliched, cloying and annoying. What is intended to be full of feeling and romantic comes across as idiotic and unlikely. And the movie is not funny! It's attempts to be so, in the shower scene for example, are pathetic. Binoche is the only bright spot but one ends up feeling sorry for her being stuck in this loser. Dan in Treacle land would be a better title.

Terribly formulaic, two-dimensional characters. The dance/music scenes were excruciating. It felt like an 80's movie that everyone forgot about, justifiably. Carrell was Ok though. The "family" dynamic was entirely unrealistic. Not recommended for anyone who like good things.

It was one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. The plot was practically nonexistent, and what small little IDEA of the plot they had they overused. There was practically an hour of nothing. I know the writer was trying to get a point across, but what point? It didn't show. I hated the movie.