In some ways, Bianca is the perfect girl. She’s in her 20s, tall and skinny, with big boobs, shiny brown hair and pouty, Angelina Jolie lips. She is a Brazilian ex-missionary who can boast the flexibility of a gymnast, has nurse’s training and loves children. Although she may be quiet, she’s always a presence. But best of all, she’s anatomically correct.

Not a bad package for a silicone doll.

“Lars and the Real Girl,” opening this Friday in theaters, is a surprising take on what could be a simple, albeit unusual, plotline: lonely male falls in love with a doll, and the whole town ends up playing into his delusion. Instead of overindulging in slapstick, it’s a mash-up of several movie genres that give the film depth beyond its comedic surface.

“Lars “ has its funny moments, but it’s also a coming-of-age story, a portrait of life in a small town and even (surprise!) a romance. However, while the film’s mashed up qualities imbue it with meaning, they also make the film drag at points and leave the viewer with several loose ends.

In the beginning of the movie, we follow Lars, brilliantly played by Ryan Gosling, as he goes through the motions of his day-to-day life. His unhappiness is palpable, his awkwardness doubly so. Lars shows no interest in being set up with his coworkers, or even having dinner with his brother, Gus, and sister-in-law, Karin. He seems to prefer the solitude of his own home and the security of his baby blue scarf, knitted for him by his mother when he was born.

This all changes when Lars announces to Gus and Karin that he’s “met someone...on the Internet.” Karin is particularly ecstatic, having been the most concerned for his well-being, and encourages Lars to bring her over for dinner. Needless to say, Karin and Gus are shocked when confronted with Bianca, a custom-made, mail-order sex doll. But what disturbs them the most is that Lars interacts with her as if she were a real human being.

After a visit with the town psychiatrist, Gus and Karin are told that Lars has a “delusion,” and the only thing they can do for him is to play along with it. As the psychiatrist says, “Bianca is in town for a reason,” and his delusion will only be over when he doesn’t need her anymore.

With that, Bianca is woven into the routines of this tight-knit town.While first encounters play most on the hilarities of her sheer existence, the townspeople and the viewer begin to develop a certain affection toward Bianca — she becomes as much of a character as the rest of them, eliciting both sympathy and frustration.

But as Bianca’s novelty wore off, so did my patience for the film. I feel that it might have been more successful as a short film, or if it hadn’t gotten so muddled between its numerous genres. “Lars and the Real Girl” lost its momentum and lightheartedness, and while it tried to replace these elements with sentimentality, it ended up falling short of its aspirations. The ending left many plot strings untied, which left me wondering what the point was of many of the themes the film spent so much time developing.

That’s not to say that I didn’t like the movie; rather, I found it endearing and enjoyable, full of heart and effort. However, this is also not to say that my accompanying friend did like the movie; he was anxious for the film to be over almost as soon as it begun. My advice? Watch the trailer for now, then pick it up from Green when it comes out on DVD. Little will be lost on a smaller screen, and it will be the perfect companion for a cold winter evening.