After being nominated for Best Actor in 2007 for his role as Dan Dunne in Half Nelson, no one would have been surprised if Ryan Gosling took the opportunity to cash in and make a series of big budget blockbusters. At only 27, with boyish good looks, the Canadian-born actor could no doubt be a matinee idol for the 21st century.

Instead, Gosling has proven himself to be a versatile actor who prefers to take chances and explore new territory with each role he takes. While he has had some box office success with traditional romantic films like The Notebook, it is less financially successful films such as True Believer (2001), Half Nelson (2006), and Fracture that spotlight Ryan Gosling's talent as a performer.

Lars and the Real Girl is another wonderfully understated performance from Gosling. Directed by Craig Gillepsie from an original screenplay by Nancy Oliver (Six Feet Under), Lars and the Real Girl could easily be passed over as a comedy about a guy and a sex doll. The film is a touching story about loss, family, and friendship and for some reason Lars develops a real emotional bond with this inanimate object.

One of the wonderful things about this film is that it has no sex, real or implied. Lars is a chaste Lutheran and he stays committed to those beliefs. Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is a quiet young man who lives in the converted garage of his family home, while his older brother Gus (Paul Schneider) lives with his pregnant wife Karin (Emily Mortimer) in the main house. Lars' solitary life is his choice. While his sister-in-law regularly tries to hug him, Lars actually experiences physical pain when experiencing human contact.

Despite his uneasiness in social situations, Lars is well liked by everyone in the small town he inhabits. His co-workers at his undefined office job enjoy him and include him in parties and other events. One coworker named Margo (Kelli Garner) even tries to ask Lars out on a date, but Lars is oblivious to her attempts.

One day a co-worker at his office surfing Internet porn shows Lars a life-sized "Love Doll." A few weeks later, Bianca is delivered to Lars. He introduces her to Gus and Karin as his girlfriend he met online. Lars asks if Bianca can stay in Gus and Karin's spare room for propriety's sake. Despite his relatives' stunned faces, Lars is oblivious and talks to and about Bianca as if she is a real person. Lars, who has never strung more than five words together at a time, now gleefully fills Gus and Karin in on every detail of Bianca's life.