Creative quotient
Dan In Real Life is a film meant to showcase the comic talents of Steve Carell. Carell plays Dan Burns, a newspaper columnist who offers advice about general problems in people’s lives.
In a chance encounter, Dan meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) at a local bookstore and helps her in picking up books that would help her stay away from awkward situations in life. He ends up falling for her and asks her out. Marie shows apprehension in keeping touch with Dan, but Dan convinces her to maintain contact.
Later, at a family get-together Dan discovers Marie is his brother Mitch’s (Dane Cook) girlfriend. Dan desperately tries to keep his advances to Marie under wraps but the two still continue their affair behind Mitch’s back.

Technical expertise
The film looks at the lighter side of the love triangle at the crux of the film. The main line of comedy comes from Steve Carell and his histrionics. It is known to the world that Carell, through The Office, 40 Year Old Virgin and Little Miss Sunshine has showcased the ability to make people laugh in a way that Jim Carrey did in his earlier films.
Like Carrey, Carell too likes to enjoy centerstage in his films and most of the physical dramatics come from him. In Dan In Real Life, Carell’s performance is a lot more subtle than usual and it has the warmth of a funnyman caught in a muddle.
While Carell and Dane Cook’s performances are noteworthy, Juliette Binoche comes across as a little over-the-top and loud.
Director Peter Hedges, who has in the past done some exceptional work in films like Pieces Of April and About A Boy has not done anything exceptional in the film. The screenplay is only average and had the film not had a bunch of exceptional actors it would have had a hard time appealing to its audience.
End of the day, Dan In Real Life is a fun-filled film about things going awry for a man who is desperately trying to sort his life out.

Verdict
The film is worth a watch and thanks to some brilliant acting performances, good comedy scenes and a warm theme about relationships Dan In Real Life musters a three- star rating.