Steve Carell is an affable widowed father who falls into 'like' with a woman (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore who turns out to be his brother's girlfriend. This simple premise could have resulted in a stupid movie about two brothers competing or a saccharine drama about one woman torn between two men but Hedges has instead created a relatable family comedy with a certain touch of class. Carell's performance is certainly passable mainly due to his everyman quality but it is nothing spectacular. The movie really works because of the chemistry between the characters. It's Binoche and the supporting cast that really stand out.
Binoche is a superb example of the power of underacting. Not once does her performance seem over the top. Rather, she is wholly genuine and believable. Her chemistry with Carell is a real force from their initial encounter in the bookstore to their final moments together. Her accent and unique style make her instantly memorable and believable as the world traveler who is trying to settle down with this large, sort of backwoods family. Both her and Dan excel at playing characters who have obligations to other people that means they can't be together. It's a hard sell to make us believe their innocent dalliances as they begin to fall in love and remain true to Mitch but Binoche and Carell really do manage to pull it off.
In addition to Binoche, we have a whole cast of talented actors and actresses, all of whom create real, flawed characters who you can't help but love in spite of those flaws. Dan's daughters are also particularly well-cast. Played by Alison Pill, Brittany Robertson and Marlene Lawston, all three daughters are beautiful young woman who all just happen to be at that difficult stage in life. One strives for independence (and a drivers license), one strives for....let's just say, she is very hormonal and the youngest just wants her dad to be happy. All three are great little actresses, completely embodying the competition and love inherent in any relationship between young girls. They are annoying but ultimately lovable and deserve credit for some of the funniest moments of the movies.
Emily Blunt even shows up for a few minutes as Ruthie Draper, a sultry, exotic little vixen who speeds up in a hot little mustang and has her eyes set on Dan. She not only gives Dan a chance to shine on the dance floor but also provides an opportunity for some very disapproving, yet understated glares from Binoche.
This film is the perfect unassuming comedy that doesn't try too hard and yet still finds a way into your heart. It's everything movies like The Family Stone are not. The screenplay doesn't require any great leaps of faith or stretches of the imagination but just asks you to join this family for a weekend, revel in their eccentricities and leave a little bit happier than when you came in. Its charm is blatantly obvious because despite featuring such an influential cast, it remains low-key and enjoyable. It is most definitely one of those films people may not remember after seeing until it is mentioned one day in conversation and the rush of happiness laced with pain and social awkwardness that it embodies comes flooding back.
Unfortunately, the film falters a bit at the end--just the smallest amount, by adhering to conventions in the end. What has felt like a guilty pleasure up until this point, like a little glimpse into someone's life suddenly feels far too much like a movie. We know what's going to happen and it almost cheapens the experience of the rest of the movie but the stellar cast manages to keep it from derailing and allows it to remain one of those movies that isn't great but feels so much like 'real life' that you don't want it to be over.
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