Reading the premise of this movie, whenever that was last year, I couldn’t by any stretch see how it could possibly make anything approaching a good movie. But when it got the Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay, then I heard someone comparing it to Harold and Maude ... what can I say, but I was pretty excited to find out just how it would turn me around.

In the end, I think I like more the fact that this film exists than the film itself. It says – sort of – weird is fine as long as nobody gets hurt, which is like practically my mantra; and as quite the weirdo myself, well, I’d be lying if I said it’s a complete waste of time. Though its ultimate goal is that final healing line, “You wanna take a walk?” which tells us Lars is “back to normal” ... on the way there are certainly hints – like the big one in Lars’ office of a male colleague’s obsession with action men and a female admirer’s teddy bear which he later, in a beautiful scene, “resuscitates” for her after said male colleague hangs it (she hid his action men; fairdos lol) – that we’re basically all pretty weird in our own way.

I’m not sure it entirely succeeds – I hate the fact that for a lot of people it will only confirm their assumption that all quiet loner types have such a similar homelife, talking to inanimate objects or even thin air etc. Very early in the movie, Lars’ sister-in-law has a great line about Lars’ aversion to social contact. Ryan Gosling’s performance is reminiscent of Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love ... in fact, the score sounds a lot like Jon Brion too. I have no idea where the Harold and Maude comparison came from, except in that it’s a “quirky love story” which kind of shows exactly the simpleminded thought process I fear taking the movie the completely wrong way.

The main thing that must be said about the movie is … it’s not funny. There are giggles in places here, but do not be misled into thinking it’s a comedy or you’ll only be disappointed. I think to get the most out of this one you really need to go in with an open mind for a quirky but meaningful psychological discussion about life, loneliness, social interaction and love. It’s extraordinary how touching it gets in the end when you consider the premise; how you actually find yourself almost slapping yourself out of thinking of Bianca like a real character, especially during one beautifully lit kiss towards the end; and considering that, I’m more than slightly awed by it to be honest.

Life-Size is one of those movies that turns out way, way better than its premise. A girl (Lindsay Lohan) badly longing to see her recently-deceased mother finds a rare and unusual spell-book in a weird bookshop and casts a spell to resurrect her: unfortunately, the spell is disrupted by her dad’s new girlfriend who’s trying to win his daughter over with a present, a doll… hey presto, the next morning, the doll is Tyra Banks.

Sounds awful, right? Even to a Lindsay Lohan fan it sounded pretty effing terrible. But aside from the few long scenes that don’t benefit from her presence, I really, really loved this movie, and could even see myself watching it again sometime (a good thing, I guess, since I bought the DVD instead of renting). I thought that, being a TV movie, it would somehow be a lesser performance from Lohan, but there are moments here where she’s better than ever. She plays the lonely young girl dealing with loss perfectly. Tyra Banks is a little annoying at times as the doll come to life but I really loved the character – she’s a little like Buddy in Elf, a product of fantasy harshly confronted with the real world. There are some big laughs and plenty of tears. The ending really got me, and even the corny cast dance-together didn’t bug me as much as such things usually do.

Maybe not one for most people’s DVD collections, but if you want a simple, happy feelgood movie that also lets you have a good cry, plus a great performance by Lindsay Lohan, this is definitely recommended.