"Love isn't a feeling; it's an ability."

- quote from the movie "Dan in Real Life," which I saw last night.

Do you think that's true? Can it be both a feeling and an ability? Do you have to be open to love to feel love or will it just come when the time is right? Leave a comment!

The movie itself gets 3 out of 5 stars. I love Steve Carrell (Dan), and he can do little wrong by me, but the plot was cliche` (lonely widower finally meets a woman he can see himself being happy with, only to find out she's already dating his brother!) There were also a couple times when I felt like I was watching Michael Scott (Carrell's character in 'The Office') instead of Dan. But overall, I appreciated the quality of the acting, especially by "Dan's" 3 young daughters, all of whom I think are unknown actresses who have the potential to bloom into stars if they get a couple more good roles. Also making a small but significant appearance is Emily Blunt ('Devil Wears Prada') who I think is beautiful.

The film is set in a cute little town in Rhode Island, where Dan's huge family (I had trouble keeping track of all the brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, parents, and kids -- perhaps too many characters) is vacationing, and that made me jealous for both a nice relaxing vacation and a family that does cute things like have talent shows where even the adults participate. Oh well... I bet we have better food!