Dan in Real Life is a comedy starring Steve Carell as a widower, who unknowingly falls in love with his brother's new girlfriend. It marked The Office star dramatic debut and was nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Dan in Real Life garnered a 67 percent freshness rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic averaged the reviews at 65 out of 100.

1. "Steve Carell and Juliette Binoche have comic roles that fit them like designer threads." - Hollywood Reporter
2. "Dan and Marie hardly know each other, and social awkwardness is the most difficult hurdle between here and happiness. That's why the movie's so soothingly pleasant" - Roger Ebert
3. "Although 'Dan In Real Life' is not a bad film , it is also possibly one of the most average, clichè -ridden and schmaltziest." -Monsters & Critics

• Rolling Stone: Dan in Real Life Review (3.5/4)
  • "OK, the plot tickles sitcom, but the film is a winner because Carell and Binoche follow Hedges' lead and keep it real. Sharing their company really is a pleasure."
• Variety: Dan in Real Life Review
  • "Gracefully understated and thoroughly engaging, "Dan in Real Life" deftly interlaces heart and humor in a witty, warm and well-observed comedy about the unexpected and inconvenient blooming of romance at the weekend gathering of an extended family. Pic more than fulfills the promise evidenced in "Pieces of April," the 2003 directorial debut of playwright-novelist-scriptwriter Peter Hedges."
• rogerebert.com: Dan in Real Life Review (3/4)
  • "Yes, there are some loud moments and big laughs, some of them involving the three girls, who seem to be enduring simultaneous hormonal yearnings, but Mahoney and Wiest keep a steady hand on the tiller, and the fireplaces and Arts & Crafts furniture exert a calming influence."
• Premiere.com: Dan in Real Life Review (3.5/4)
  • "One of the more pleasant surprises of the current season, Dan in Real Life is a smart, sweet, and thoroughly disarming ensemble comedy that isn't afraid to wear its humanism on its sleeve."

• Rotten Tomatoes: Dan in Real Life Review (Rating: 62%)
  • "Somewhere in between the forced movie-star moments is a smaller, sweeter picture trying to get out. We wish the suits would have given that second film more breathing room." -David Fear
• Cinematical: Dan in Real Life Review
  • "You won't be angry at yourself for watching it, but you'll be hard pressed to remember the thing in two weeks. It's a relentlessly average movie, packed full of "nice" moments but lacking a single great one."
• Ain't It Cool News: Dan in Real Life Review
  • "The strong cast certainly elevates the material far beyond what's on the page without seeming like everyone is elbowing each other for punchlines and more screen time. By no definition of the word did I love this film, but it's an easy one to like in a platonic, non-committal way."