Fridae

The most charming film of week � or possibly the year � is Craig Gillespie's Lars and the Real Girl.

Starring Hollywood's most talented and sensitive young actor since Edward Norton, Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson) plays a shy and reclusive man who fears physical contact with other humans. His female colleague openly flirts with him, his sister-in-law wants to draw him out his shell, but he remains stubbornly aloof.

One day, he tells everyone that he's met someone special. Her name is Bianca, and she is a stunning half-Brazilian, half-Dutch vixen with long, flowing hair and pouty, parting lips. She also happens to be a sex doll made out of silicon. How do his family and friends react when he takes her to dinner, parties, and even the church?

Lars and the Real Girl could have been a sick, crass comedy if the cast and crew had surnames like Stiller, Sandler or Farrelly. But, with a surprisingly sensitive script by Nancy Oliver and an equally heartfelt performance by Ryan Gosling, the movie is anything but cheap.

Instead, it is a wonderfully sweet and funny look at a man who just happens to be different. The movie suggests that there is an entirely humane way of interacting with people who are different from the mainstream, but who clearly pose no threat to society. Indeed, any queer audience would laud its message of understanding and acceptance.

We'll be damned if, come Oscar time, Lars and the Real Girl doesn't get at least one Oscar nomination for either Nancy's original screenplay or Ryan's heartbreaking performance.