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While the new romantic-comedy Dan in Real Life may include situations a bit too improbable for the lives most of us lead, this surprisingly good film somehow manages to find a message—and an emotional feel—that will connect with the movie-going public.

Grieving the death of his beloved wife, Dan Burns has directed all his passion into being a dedicated father of his three daughters, ages 9, 15 and 17, and being a rising newspaper advice columnist. But as Dan (Steve Carell) prepares to take his daughters to his parents’ Rhode Island home for a family gathering, he begins to become a little unglued.

The oldest daughter wants Dan to let her drive. The middle daughter wants Dan to let her date. The youngest describes Dan’s overprotective tendencies by calling him “a good father, but sometimes a bad dad.”

Sensing her son’s tense nature, the family matriarch (Dianne Wiest) orders him to “get lost,” adding, “It’s not a request.” But in a tackle shop and bookstore, Dan meets the beautiful Marie (Juliette Binoche), and all the tumblers fall into sync, opening his locked heart.

Borrowing words from the 1980s song, “Let My Love Open the Door” by Pete Townshend, Dan in Real Life suggests “love can cure your problems.” But, being a comedy, it might add, “if love doesn’t kill you first.” Dan returns to the family compound to discover that Marie is the new girlfriend of his younger brother Mitch (Dane Cook). We spend the remainder of the 99-minute romantic comedy watching this soon-to-be-syndicated columnist make decisions that increasingly run counter to his advice to his parents, his brother, and his children.

You don’t need two daughters—one teen and one tween—and a brother named Dan, like this writer, to enjoy this delightful romantic comedy that tests the depths of love in the emotional crucible of family. Dan’s test becomes even more dramatic in a family that orchestrates its own talent shows, group aerobics, football games, and competitive crossword puzzles.

There are some great comic scenes, even if some are a bit tried and true. Watch for a visual allusion to The Graduate as a zealous Dan seeks to prevent his daughter from taking a romantic leap. As he increasingly interferes with her relationship, she later accuses him of being “a Murderer of Love.” For those of us who have been around long enough to ignore some of our own best advice, Dan in Real Life is an excellent romantic comedy for filmgoers older than Hollywood’s usual target demographic.

Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Evan Almighty, Little Miss Sunshine) shines remarkably as a romantic lead while Binoche, who won the Oscar for The English Patient and starred in Chocolat, serves as the perfect motivation for Dan’s temporary insanity. The film’s entertaining story is complemented by an engaging soundtrack by singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche.

Directed by Peter Hedges, who co-wrote the screenplay with Pierce Gardner, Dan in Real Life may find criticism from some viewers that find it too formulaic. But to paraphrase Tolstoy, “Good romantic comedies are all alike; every failed romantic comedy fails in its own way.” Dan in Real Life stacks up well among today’s more popular romantic comedies.

Love may not cure your problems. But it makes the journey a lot more bearable.