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I have to admit, I was expecting something a bit more… zany. But Steve Carell proves he can do substantial, even if his distinct brand of humor plays heavily into this movie.

Single father Dan Burns is an advice columnist, an expert on parenting, but his personal life leaves one to wonder of his expertise.  Dan has three daughters, two of which hate him. The third tolerates him.  Dan and daughters pack up the car for their annual family reunion. The girls immediately retreat inside the huge family, letting it be known that Dad is to stay away.

Dan finds solace at the local bookstore where he meets Marie. They connect immediately, spending hours talking over coffee and muffins. But when he asks her if he can call her, she admits that she’s started a new relationship, in fact, that’s why she’s in town.  Of course, the next time we meet Marie is back at the house. She is Dan’s brother Mitch’s new girlfriend. And Mitch has got it bad for Marie. Meanwhile, Dan and Marie fall in love from afar.

Steve Carell brings his trademark style to the role of beleaguered Dad, dealing with his daughter’s blossoming sexuality with a tight jaw and dry comments. Other standout performances include Dane Cook as Mitch, playing the brother not quite good enough, but not someone we want to see hurt. Brittany Robertson plays 15-year-old Cara and gives a brilliant performance as a hormonal teen that hates her father with all the passion she has for her boyfriend Marty.

The setting was a joy. The family gathers in the big house in the woods (but not that big: there are five kids to a room and Dan sleeps in the laundry room). There are cozy fires, gatherings on the porch for cocoa, and plenty of nooks and crannies for games of hide and seek. It’s a home for a family, complete with a banging laundry machine.

The music was a pleasure. Composer Sondre Lerche was asked to create something that sounded “hand-made,” and he did so brilliantly. Don’t miss the bonus feature featuring the making of the musical score.  Other bonus features include deleted scenes must have been painful to cut, as they were all gems, a “making of feature” titled “Just Life Family,” and real-life outtakes. All are worth watching.

If you enjoyed Cheaper by the Dozen be sure to add Dan in Real Life to your collection. It’ll be one you’ll watch over and over.

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