I'm sure that Lars and the Real Girl is a good movie and that Ryan Gosling is Oscar-worthy, yadda yadda. But will the bloggers out there spreading the word please stop acting like it's such an original premise to have an adult treat a life-size doll like a real person? In the past few years alone, I've watched indie movies May and Love Object cover the same ground, with Dummy skirting closeby, and those are only a few examples; plenty more exist through the years. There are no original stories in Hollywood (ask Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola), so enough already.


One Reply to Lars and the Ripoff

Amy Austin | October 23, 2007
Ah, but are you comparing indie to mainstream -- I'd wager that these bloggers you speak of know nothing of the films you mention... not everyone is a true cinema connoisseur, such as yourself. ;-)


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The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

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