Dan in Real Life

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Four years after his wife's death, newspaper columnist Dan (Steve Carell) pays more attention to his three daughters than to his dating life. Things seem to be looking up when Dan heads to an annual family retreat and meets Marie (Juliette Binoche) in a bookstore ... until he learns that Marie is dating his brother Mitch (Dane Cook).

Big question: Can "Dan in Real Life" put Carell's big-screen career back on track, or is it no better than "Evan Almighty"?

Skip it: There aren't enough laughs to call this a comedy, with the most amusing thing being that we could believe Cook and Binoche as a couple. Carell is appealing if a little too self-involved, and most of the time "Dan in Real Life" just wanders around like a hungover frat guy looking for last night's pizza, while the movie struggles to mix its realistic pursuit of romance with unwelcome spells of cuteness and corn.

Catch it: For the direct message displayed on the pants of Dan's middle and most outspoken daughter Cara (Brittany Robertson): "You wish."

Bottom line: Credit "Dan in Real Life" for its hopeful and pure notions of love, and irresistible performances by Binoche and Emily Blunt--as another romantic option for Dan--for making parts of the movie so charming. It's like the cream-and-sugar decaf version of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"--sweet enough, but nothing that will keep you from dozing off.

Bonus: You may want to reconnect with that person you called Pigface as a kid because, as Blunt’s character demonstrates, she may have grown up to be gorgeous! Though you probably ruined your chances by calling her Pigface, jackass.

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