‘Lars and the Real Girl’

It’s that time again, when moviegoers yearn for a film that best expresses the holiday spirit. The choice this year is obvious if totally unexpected: “Lars and the Real Girl.” I know, I know, the story of a relationship between a man and a life-size doll sounds, well, weird. But the truth about “Lars” is that, believe it or not, it’s the sweetest film around, a Frank Capra-style throwback to the joys of friendship and community. More than for any other film, people are coming up to me about “Lars” and saying how glad they were to have taken a chance on it. Don’t wait until it’s too late to have that pleasure yourself.