eeing the name of writer-director Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, About a Boy, Pieces of April) on a movie's credits means you're in for a something a bit off-kilter. And Hedges' latest, "Dan in Real Life" certainly has the potential to register as one of the fall's true crowd-pleasers.

The story is simple enough: sad-eyed widower Dan Burns (Steve Carell) who pens an advice column, is doing his best to raise three girls. He can’t imagine falling in love again, but, while on a vacation with his parents (John Mahoney, Dianne Wiest) at their Rhode Island cottage, he goes to the local bookstore and meets the beautiful and spontaneous Marie (Juliette Binoche).

Seeing the name of writer-director Peter Hedges (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, About a Boy, Pieces of April) on a movie's credits means you're in for a something different

Marie approaches Dan, wrongly assuming he’s employed there. She’s looking for a book but isn’t sure what she wants, then rattles out a long list of details identifying the book she’s seeking. Immediately, Dan feels the sparks of affection for the first time since his wife's death.

Alas, his hopes of a relationship are dashed when she turns out to be the beloved girlfriend of his shallow brother (Dane Cook). And, to make matters worse, she's on her way to the Burns family cottage to meet Dan and the rest of the gang - which will make the family visit a comically awkward situation as they try to keep their flirtation a secret from the rest of the family.

The story, set in a house full of animated relatives, follows the subplots of extended-family love stories with good effect. Carell is a great minimalist comic, but director Peter Hedges’ juvenile script has him emulating Ben Stiller bombs. Binoche, though, is a ray of warmth whose solid performance makes Dan in Real Life more enjoyable.

While the animated clan provides an engaging backdrop of familial love, we root for Carell even as he drifts through the movie, basically reprising his Little Miss Sunshine performance.

This is the second writer/director project from Peter Hedges (who co-wrote the script with Pierce Gardner) who made the shtickier Pieces of April - which had characters that had more edge and personality than they do in Dan in Real Life. Still, he directs with unforced enthusiasm, peculiarly keeping Dan secluded in the foreground of the frame, with the rest of his large, boisterous family is separated off in the background. Indeed, the plot emulates sitcom, but the film is a winningly good-natured and funny.