I recently watched the 2007 movie “Dan in Real Life,” starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, and Dane Cook. Classified as a comedy, drama, and romance, this movie will capture the attention of any viewer. “Dan in Real Life” is a quality comedy that doesn’t feel like it’s trying too hard. Many of the jokes resemble the style of Carell’s show “The Office.”

The storyline follows the conflict between widowed advice columnist Dan (Carell) and his three daughters. Dan must give his youngest child the attention she needs and his oldest the freedom to decide where her life will take her. The struggle between Dan and his middle daughter particularly stands out as a parallel to the main conflict of the film. This is where romance plays a part.

On an annual weekend trip to his parents’ house for a family reunion of sorts, Dan meets Marie (Binoche) in a bookstore and is immediately attracted to her. However, when he returns to the house and announces to his family that he has met someone, Dan is introduced to his brother’s new girlfriend, Annie, who also goes by Marie. Dan’s crush is actually dating his brother (Cook). To make things more interesting, Marie/Annie has accepted the invitation to stay for the weekend. Sparks fly as the visit progresses; Dan must keep the secret that he is attracted to Marie and is falling for her.

“Dan in Real Life” is a very refreshing family movie. After watching it at a party, I know that it will entertain almost anyone. It’s honest, not overdone, and makes me wish I were a member of Dan’s family. I love that although it has a happy ending, it still doesn’t completely patch everything up and doesn’t make life seem perfect, which is a quality I admire in movies.

The music is great and doesn’t conform to the cookie-cutter soundtrack of most films. This movie has a positive message and stands out from many other films of the past couple of years.