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There’s a strange fact about top comedian Steve Carell that few, including the man himself, want to admit: Carell is great on TV, but sucks on the big screen.

Carell is great as the boss from hell in sitcom The Office, and his segments on Saturday Night Live are legendary. But his move into film has been a tough one.

You want proof? Look no further than Evan Almighty and Get Smart, two big budget cinematic stinkers with Carell’s name attached. Forgettable, in every sense of the word.

Dan In Real Life does little to change Carell’s film fortunes. It’s a simple set-up in which Carell plays a solo dad and self-help columnist raising three daughters who falls in love with his brother’s new girlfriend during a family holiday.

Despite its Juno-lite charm and occasional laughs - the ‘pig-face’ piano sing-along is great - there are too many cliched characters and wasted ideas for Dan In Real Life to fly.

Director Peter Hedges seems so intent on tying up every loose end there’s little room for Carell’s brand of awkward spontaneity to come out.

Don’t quit your day job yet, Steve. You’ll be needing it for a while to come.

Extras: A making-of feature, deleted scenes, outtakes, easter eggs and a look at the show’s music, which is the best thing about the whole film.

* What do you think of Dan In Real Life? Post your comments below.