Back in 2007, I don’t even remember Dan in Real Life coming out to theaters. While Steve Carell isn’t exactly one of my favorite actors, I have liked him ever since he was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I had heard about Dan in Real Life recently and figured it might be good.

Carell plays Dan Burns who writes an advice column for a local newspaper. He’s also a widower and father of three girls. The family is suppose to go to Dan’s parent’s house for a family reunion. However Dan’s two oldest daughters either don’t want to go, or complain about his parenting.

After they arrive, Dan goes alone to a local bookstore. There he connects with a woman named Marie, and the two realize how much they like each other. But Marie doesn’t do much more than flirt, as she tells Dan she has a boyfriend. When Dan gets back to the family reunion, he sees Marie as she’s his brother’s girlfriend. But can the two deny their attraction during the several-day stay there?

I thought Dan in Real Life was nothing more than decent. The story is unique I suppose, but I didn’t like how Dan kept acting like a depressive idiot. It also features a lot of boring moments. While it wasn’t a critical failure, I don’t think many people will be remembering this one twenty years from now.