A lot of laughs, especially if you're a parent of any age "child" and if you happen to be the child of any such parents.
Some very good moments - family life begotten and misbeggotten ... sibling love and sibling rivalry ... parents never stop being parents, even though children cease being children ... the power of death, and the power of love to overcome.
All the pieces are here.
I'm glad I saw it, but it lacks that something special that spells the difference between a good movie and a great one. Energy, perhaps, is the missing ingredient. Steve Carrell is a delightful screen presence, but here, it seems as if he's sleep-walking through the movie - "put it on my tab" he says to the cop, and that's sort of the overall feel of the film - I'll deal with it later.
His three children are scene-stealers in the best sense ... Mom and Dad are quintessential Mom and Dad, still slipping their son a few bucks so he can go out and buy a newspaper - I really hooted when I saw that - I'm a parent, too.
Worth seeing, that's for sure ... but comparing it to the other "family" film, Lars and the Real Girl, "Lars" is considerably the better film - although I want to be careful about comparisons. "Lars" just felt tighter - like a carefully choreographed dance. "Dan," like mashed potatoes without salt, lacked flavor!
So it goes ...
