This film, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by newcomer Craig Gillespie, is an earnest, sincere, and often sappy tale of a small Midwest town transformed by one man's real "relationship" with a fake person. It is hokey (the older, wiser women of the town sitting in a knitting circle wearing sweaters and offering casseroles and their undying support when Gosling's character is depressed), and it is, at times, a tear-jerker (lots of close-ups of a misty-eyed, red-faced Gosling as he comes to terms with his inner self), but it's also funny (Gosling getting into "arguments" with his doll).

The movie feels like an art-house film for the family: It's quirky and character-driven, but it's also, in the end, a feel-good flick about good people doing good things for each other. Boring? Maybe. Depends who you ask, or what mood you're in when you see it. Cheesy? A little. Worth watching if you're into small-budget films with mostly unknown actors forming friendships with a plastic woman purchased on the Internet? Yup.