Stranger Than Fiction Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
He's not crazy. He's just written that way.
For twelve years, the methodic IRF agent Harold Crick has had a routine lonely life guided by his wristwatch. However, one day he hears the narration of his life in off, telling that he is going to die pretty soon. Meanwhile, he audits Ana Pascal, the owner of a bakery that is in debt with the IRF, and falls in love for her. Harold is advised by Professor Jules Hilbert to change his monotonous lifestyle while he tries to find Karen Eiffel, the author of the story of his life, who is researching means of killing the character, and convince her to change the ending of the story.
| Will Ferrell | Harold Crick |
| Queen Latifah | Penny Escher |
| Peter Grosz | IRS Co-Worker #5 |
| Ricky Adams | Young Boy |
| Christian Stolte | Young Boy's Father |
| Denise Hughes | Kronecker Bus Driver |
| Peggy Roeder | Polish Woman |
| Tonray Ho | IRS Co-Worker #6 |
| Tony Hale | Dave |
| William Dick | IRS Co-Worker #1 |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal | Ana Pascal |
| Danny Rhodes | Bakery Employee #1 |
| Helen Young | Bakery Customer #1 |
| David Pompeii | Bakery Customer #2 |
| Linara Washington | Bakery Employee #2 |
| Marc Forster |
7.90 out of 10 (37809 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Entertaining, flawed, but entertaining
posted on 28 Aug 2009I always welcome the notion of a career comedian steps out of his element and turns to drama. It's done well for the likes of Jim Carrey in "The Truman Show", Robin Williams in "Good Will Hunting" and Jamie Foxx in "Ray". We're able to add Will Ferrell to that list, who takes a break from his usual goofy, over-the-top shtick to take on a toned down and more serious role in Marc Forster's ("Finding Neverland") new film "Strange Than Fiction." Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a lonely IRS agent who lives a simple and menial life until he starts hearing a woman's voice narrating his life. He decides it's not schizophrenia, as the voice isn't communicating to him, it's just talking about him and what he does, and seeks out help from a literature professor (Dustin Hoffman) to help him figure out what the narrator means by "imminent death." After the pseudo-soul searching he's forced into, he changes his life so as to live it to it's fullest before his death.It's a comedy of sorts. There are plenty of jokes in Zach Helm's script to keep it light, but it's still a somber piece that keeps the audience hooked by having us trying to figure out the end just as much as Crick is. And through the scenes involving Emma Thompson's writer character Kay Eiffel, you become entrenched with the life and outcome of Crick.Ferrell is of course the star, and he is able to prove to audiences that he is more than a "frat-pack" goofball. His emotional and subdued performance is gold and I can only hope that he does more dramatic work in the future.I have yet to come across a performance of Hoffman's that I don't like. Sure some are better than others, but I've enjoyed them all. This is one of his average ones, and certainly won't be one that will be spoken of at an Academy Awards or AFI tribute to him, but seeing a good actor work isn't something that should be passed up. Maggie Gyllenhaal is still doing a balancing act between independent features and major studio productions. Here she plays the love interest of Crick, and while I don't dislike her as an actor, she has yet to do a major studio film where she's really good. She handles the smaller, edgier fair much better and until she finds a stronger voice, should stick to those for a while.And that's pretty much how the whole film goes. There is no wow factor to it. Hoffman, Thompson, Queen Latifah and Gyllenhaal, all competent, capable actors give middling performances in an intriguing film, but goes the route of the Hollywood happy ending, rather than the shockingly depressing ending. There's almost a wink and a nod to the movie in relation to Eiffel's book in a scene between Hoffman and Thompson. It's OK but not great. And Thompson says she's comfortable with OK, and explains her rationale behind it. It seems like the writer, director, actors and producers settled on OK, rather than trying for great. It works as an OK film. But that's ultimately all it is, Ferrell's award caliber performance aside.
Very Slick
posted on 28 Aug 2009"Stranger Than Fiction" (2006) fits into the tiny sub-genre of recent "the tax-man needs love too" films, which includes "Exotica" (1994) and "Off the Map" (2003). And since nothing of real consequence happens in this moral tale of a film, you could make a case for it being like Eric Rohmer's "My Night With Maude" (insert sequences of serio-comic triviality here). Although I can see why some people compare it to "The Hours" (2002) it is really a variation on "Adaptation" (2002) and its various allegorical elements. As in "Adaptation" you have a stalled character going to a literary professional for advice. Instead of troubled screenwriter Charlie Kaufman seeking advice from adaptation guru Robert McKee, you have IRS agent Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) contacting literature professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman). Which serves as an excuse to utilize a vast store of insider jokes about screen writing/fiction writing. Maggie Gyllenhaal was in both films. In "Stranger Than Fiction" she plays Harold love interest, Ana Pascal, the irreverent owner of a bakery. This is one of the all-time best film romances and it owes a lot Director Marc Forster's casting of these two actors. It's a quirky and sideways path to romance and is sold by Ferrell's trademark lack of guile and Gyllenhaal's way of teasing a role. As in "Adaptation" the wrapped too tight hero might be schizophrenic; but instead of a fast living unpretentious twin brother, Harold hears a woman author's narration in his head; and she is narrating a highly accurate account of Harold's day-to-day existence. The voice is actually that of Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a slightly suicidal author struggling with writer's block. Her prior books have all ended with the death of her main character (insert "The Hours" here) and she is struggling with just how to dispatch Harold in the book she is currently writing. Harold is clued to his ultimate fate when her narration uses the phrase "little did he know". Both Ana and Jules nicely display the dichotomy between the passion of their creativity and the reserve of their analysis and critique. Once he knows his fate Harold begins making positive changes in his life style, which culminates in his romance with Ana. So you get the standard "stop and smell the roses" theme, a bit of a "free will vs destiny" theme, and finally the principal question: If the novel Kay is writing would be a masterpiece only if it ends in Harold's death, what right does he have continue his life? And the secondary question once Kay understands the implications of a tragic ending: Can she assume the responsibility of sacrificing another life as the necessary cost of producing a masterpiece? The production design in "Stranger Than Fiction" is nothing to get excited about but it does not distract from the story. There is some distraction by the effects people who periodically overlay cute little graphics to illustrate Harold compulsive need to count things and set things in order. But it is all in the service of character development. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Saw this about 4 hours before this post.
posted on 26 Aug 2009Well, every once in a while you see a movie, that is fantastic. This movie is really good. You can tell by the way this movie worked. If you liked this movie, and you bought it on DVD, how many scenes would you skip? I wouldn't skip any. There was no random awkwardness of some comedies, that makes you want to skip that particular scene because of that terrible joke. Well that never really happens with Stranger Than Fiction, because it flows, and it has an intelligent storyline. Take the manically depressed but genius writer who wants to kill a character she doesn't know is real. Then there is the character, who makes his routine, then is forced to break it. There is almost no scene in the whole movie that doesn't make sense. Everything ties together, and everything works well. See it, you'll love it. Will Ferrel is making better movies now, a few of his last one were sickening.
The pen is mightier than the sword
posted on 20 Aug 2009"Stranger than fiction" is (To put it simply) a great film.And now, the reasons behind my statement. First off I believe this to be Will Ferrell's best piece of acting yet, for a man who usually play's over the top and in some cases embarrassing characters, this was defiantly a good turning point for him as an actor and has helped this particular person to appreciate his talent now that I know that he's not always going to be characters like Ron Burgundy (Anchorman) or Jack Wyatt (Bewitched).I think that "Stranger than Fiction" is a film that you should watch with a group of friends or your family since it has some great elements and subtle of both humour and tragedy. As it has plenty of imagery to discuss, and the standard "Aww" moments you get from time to time. It also has moments which don't have much meaning when you first watch it but when you think back are actually there to give the story as little ironic quirk such as Harold watching the "meaning of live" in the Cinema and the part when Harold Crick is running down the street with an apple in his mouth (reference to "Son of Man" by Rene Magritte) and the picture is concluded when he is talking to the doctor at the office and he is sat in front of cloud pattern wallpaper.As I said before I enjoyed this film a lot and I would recommend it to most people for the structure of and story it and I would recommend it to the rest of the people as a good family and friends film.
Cowards !
posted on 20 Aug 2009IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and GROUNDHOG DAY have heirs. That's nice. Some concepts are not milked enough (see WHAT WOMEN WANT), some are. This is the case with STRANGER THAN FICTION. The problem, once more, is the ending. Harold Crick should have died. The literary expert played by Dustin Hoffman and Harold Crick himself agreed on that. He should die because that makes the novel a masterpiece. The problem is Hollywood is scared. Scared of losing spectators. Scared of killing a star. So they devised some crappy excuse not to kill Will Ferrell/Harold Crick. Not only the novel is not a masterpiece anymore but this is also true of the film itself. Cowards ! Down with your bloody senseless happy endings !
One of my favorite movies
posted on 15 Aug 2009I am usually not a fan of Will Ferrel's movies (the exception being Anchorman), but I found this to be an incredibly brave departure for him. The storyline is intriguing, and the love story feels natural and unforced unlike a lot of movies these days. Stranger Than Fiction is amazing, anything less than five stars would be a crime.
Is great art worth more than a man's life?
posted on 11 Aug 2009 If somebody really had to die in order for the world to have HAMLET, would it be worth it? In STRANGER THAN FICTION, an author realizes to her horror that her leading character is a real man leading a real life, and if she kills off his character in her book, he will really die. If he dies, the book will be a masterpiece. If she changes the ending so that he lives, the book will only be "okay". Which would you choose?
I was surprised by STRANGER THAN FICTION. I only knew Will Ferrell from the over-the-top performances that are his trademark; I was delighted that he is also capable of a toned-down, thoughtful performance. Emma Thompson is always great--her reaction when she discovers that her character is real is exactly right. Dustin Hoffman is excellent as the nice-guy professor with an edge. He really believes that the book is worth the life of the man standing right in front of him.
STRANGER THAN FICTION is rapidly becoming one of my favorite movies. I bought it two weeks ago and have watched it three times. Each time I notice more and more of the subtle touches the director brought to the film. I highly recommend it to anybody who prefers a little thought with their comedy.
A missed opportunity for greatness.
posted on 06 Aug 2009As the cinematic writing debut of Zach Helm, "Stranger Than Fiction" may very well have the most creative storyline of the year. Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is a nondescript IRS agent who awakes one day to hear a woman narrating much of his life. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the voice belongs to a well-known author who routinely kills her main characters in her novels. No big deal, except for the fact that he soon learns of his fate. That of course horrifies him, and he spends the majority of the film coping with that inevitability.Unfortunately the lofty possibilities raised by such a fantastically original idea are never fully explored. "Stranger" doesn't take the time to delve into the life-and-death complexities that could arise from a man searching for the why and who behind his future demise. Nor does it address most of the unique moral questions and obligations that would arise. Instead the script settles for clichés like a typically rushed cinematic romance, premises that aren't all that bad, but are more suited to be side stories, not main arcs. These shortcomings glaringly keep Stranger from reaching the Oscar-winning level of something like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or other Charlie Kaufman work. In fact this movie might be best described as Diet Charlie Kaufman, a pop psychological movie, a thinking movie for those who don't really want to think.As Adam Sandler did for "Punch-Drunk Love", Will Ferrell will no doubt receive heaps of praise for his portrayal of IRS agent Harold Crick. Make no mistake, Ferrell is fine, but don't let anyone convince you this is an Oscar-worthy turn. The simple fact that he plays it straight, without getting nearly naked or over-reacting doesn't automatically create a great performance. The reality is that while he has his moments, Ferrell is the straight man in this picture, a tepid character who contrasts well with Maggie Gyllenhaal's anarchist baker Anna, Dustin Hoffman's Yoda of literature professor, and Emma Thompson's work as author Kay Eiffel, which results in the best performance in the film. She lends the part a wackiness that seems genuinely fresh, in odd, unteachable ways like how she touches both sides of a door frame when passing. She acts crazy enough but not so crazy that you sense the acting as she neurotically haggles over how she can kill off her protagonist.In the end, "Stranger Than Fiction" is like Anna's cookies. They both taste good at the time, as the movie does have its humorous and entertaining moments, but their long term value is limited due to their lack of nutrition. Nothing here is going to linger, but if you're interested, you won't be sorry you saw it.Bottom Line: A missed opportunity, but still worth a rental or cheap theater ticket. 6 of 10.
An interesting take...
posted on 05 Aug 2009Harold Crick is a real-life 'fiction' character walking the streets of the city. He doesn't realize his life is altered by the narration of author Karen Eiffel until he hears her voice in his head. The bigger problem is she's about to kill him off on the page, which will kill him for real! With the help of a literary professor (Dustin Hoffman), Crick tracks down the author and tries to persuade her to let him live. He's in love, after all. An interesting take on the novelist/character relationship.
Chrissy K. McVay - Author
Truly amazing!
posted on 04 Aug 2009I think the thing that most people will be commenting on is how wonderful it is to see Will Farrell do something with depth. Yes, I know that "Dying is easy; comedy is hard," but I feel deeply touched by the quality of his performance. POSSIBLE SPOILER: I was tearing up at several points in the movie, particularly when he handed the ms. back to Kay Eiffel and said "I loved it." I'd like to comment on Emma Thompson's portrayal of an author. I know a lot of fiction authors (it's my line of work and, well, it makes for good parties :D ) and I could see some of them in her characterization. It ~felt~ real. The self-absorption was certainly fun. :) The rest of the primary characters were very good, too. Dustin Hoffman did an excellent job as an English Lit. professor. Maggie Gyllenhaal was delicious, bubbly, and the perfect yin to play off Will Ferrel's yang and, as always, I would follow Queen Latifah anywhere. Hell, even the ~sound track~ was good! I'm going to go buy a CD in January if I don't find one in my stocking next week. :) I would love to see more of Will Farrell like this. Sure, I may be one of the few people who enjoyed "Bewitched"--though that was for Nicole Kidman as much as anything--but I think that the fluffier stuff he's been doing has been... well, fluffy. A lot of it's good, fun, light entertainment, but this movie feels like it may last for its dramatic value. It tells a good story.
Good...could have been great
posted on 25 Jul 2009Twist Endings have always faded in and out of popularity over the decades...recent movies, from "The Usual Suspects" to "Fight Club" to the first "Saw," usually bank on a curveball in the last act that aims to redeem something seemingly conventional with a forehead-slapping plot development. In the world of "Stranger Than Fiction," the "twist" is done with such earnestness and honesty that part of me felt bad in not completely accepting it; there is a palpable dramatic swell, after which we cut away to What Really Happened. I guess any movie that casts Will Ferrell as a bland-as-cardboard IRS auditor looking to seize the life he's wasted deserves some consideration, especially in its third-act machinations. Ferrell plays the painfully-named William Crick, who lives a life of routine (counting teeth-brushing strokes, for instance), until one day he begins to hear a woman narrating his life (including a budding relationship with Maggie Gyllenhaal); turns out he's unwittingly become the main character in reclusive author Karen Eiffel's (Emma Thompson) new novel. The catch? Eiffel's lead character always dies. While "Fiction" is modest in its exploration of existential matters, the randomness of its premise comes off as gimmicky; while director Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland") keeps things moving along with a sense of purpose (though the superimposed diagrams that occasionally flash on-screen are a distracting miscalculation), Zach Helm's screenplay barely rises above convention. Ultimately, "Fiction" is a case of the performances really selling the material: Ferrell is quite good in a quietly funny and believably dramatic role; Gyllenhaal is plucky and spunky as his love interest; Thompson communicates a wonderfully wiggy, stress-fried persona; and Dustin Hoffman shines as literature professor who helps Harold with his predicament.
Stuck in a Desolate Ivory Tower
posted on 22 Jul 2009This is a film about the loneliness that comes with intellectual perfectionism. It begins with the voice of an off-screen female narrator as we watch IRS auditor Harold Crick start his rigidly prescribed daily routine. The film's plot turns on the fact that Harold, along with us, can hear the woman's overbearing voice, and can't help wondering if he or she is driving the events in his life. In fact, he's a character in her novel. It's reminiscent of The Truman Show, where Jim Carrey plays a similar role as an unwitting character in a reality TV show. Fortunately, playing Crick, Will Ferrell can convey real emotional depth along with his humor and his nuanced acting gives the film its emotional resonance.
The novelist writing Crick's story, Kay Eiffel, has writer's block because she sets too high standards for herself. Prof. Jules Hilbert, who Crick goes to for advice about narrative fiction, is a schlump of a guy who's constantly eating and fidgeting in an abject way that's at odds with his lofty intellectual ideals. Cricks's also a perfectionist (and very smart) in his own OCD way, but at least he doesn't suffer from Eiffel and Hilbert's sense of pompous self-importance.
Crick falls in love with a woman he's assigned to audit--Ana, a Harvard dropout who runs a bakery. She's bought out of the academic and literary rat race that Eiffel and Hilbert are so invested in. But she has a rigidly left-wing political philosophy that's led her to withhold her taxes--she could end up in jail. Crick and Ana's love for each leads them to make a healthy compromise in their relationship and love each other despite their tempramental differences.
Eiffel and Hilbert, both dowdy and unattached, serve as a cautionary tale to the younger Harold and Ana--this is what they could turn into if they don't unbend and accept their own and other's intellectual and personal imperfections. In the end, Eiffel confronts her personal isolation (maybe she and Hilbert will become an item) and decides that maybe writing an "okay'" novel instead of a masterpiece is acceptable. Life will go on. It might even go on better for her if she gives into a little greeting-card sentimentality now and then.
Brilliantly different and thoroughly engaging. Ferrell shines in this unusual film.
posted on 20 Jul 2009Most of us know Will Ferrell as a kooky, often hilarious comedic performer who excells at creating funny and memorable characters (such as Ron Burgandy in "Anchorman", or Ricky Bobby in "Talladega Nights"). However, the brilliant and heart-warmingly *normal* man he portrays in this film is a testament to his versatility as an actor!
Quick Synopsis: Harold Crick is an IRS agent who leads a very boringly predictable life each and every day. He counts out everything, from brush strokes while he's brushing his teeth, to how many steps it takes him to get to work. What Harold didn't expect in his mundane existance was to one day start hearing a woman's voice in his head begin to narrate his life. As he frantically tries to figure out what is going on, the woman's voice (belonging to a local author who is known for her tragic stories) say in a nonchalant voice that Harold Crick was going to die.
This film is engaging and imaginative. It is a far cry from Will Ferrell's usual role, but he manages to bring a vulnerability and a very real personality to his character. He performs in a sense that not many thought he was capable of, and gives Harold Crick a down-to-earth and completely believable vibe. His character reacts in the same way one might imagine *anyone* would react in this insane situation, and he navigates the strange plotline with ease.
Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, and Maggie Gyllenhaal each turn in equally unique and 'right-on-the-money' performances, and I would expect nothing less from any of them, but this film is still awe inspiring due to Ferell's turn as Harold Crick.
While the idea that one could hear another person's voice in their own head, and not only have zero control over their fate, but to have to realize that no matter what you do, you either can't change the outcome or you shouldn't change the outcome, is an insane and completely unplausible concept. However...it also completely works for this film. I know that none of us watch a movie expecting to see anything that would happen in real life (that would be boring), but "Stranger than Fiction" takes an average man in need of a life change, and gives it to him in a uniquely thinking-outside-the-box sort of way. I think most of us fear change, and often fear the uncertainty in life itself, and these fears manifest to their fullest in Harold Crick's strict and rigidly controlled lifestyle that can't really be called living. He does the same thing every day. He eats the same, takes his breaks at the exact same time, walks the exact same number of steps to the bus stop, and goes to bed at the exact same time. When time begins to work against him, and his life spirals out of his control with the emergence of this voice inside his head, he actually begins *living* for the first time. While there is an air of doom ahead of him, he tries to find out how and why, while at the same time altering his rigid routine to include things he actually enjoys, and to take a couple risks in life, such as asking out the beautiful woman he is falling in love with, even with the fear of rejection.
The cinematography and set design in this film work beautifully together. The appearance of numbers to help illustrate Harold's numeral obsession, and the bland whiteness of the author's walls indicate a blank canvas on which to create a masterpiece of fiction...that just happens to turn out to be fact. Harold's apartment consists of pale and boring yellows and greens, with little or no decoration. It all flows and works together, and it's interesting to relate it all to the mood and growth of Ferrell's character.
Bottom line, this is a must see. It's orignal and uniquely interesting. A word of caution -- the film is *not* going to explain how Harold is hearing the author's voice in his head, or how everything the author writes on her little typewriter comes true, but if you can ignore these burning questions, you will enjoy this story for what it is, and not what you might want it to be.
Almost Perfect
posted on 20 Jul 2009Damn Hollywood and their need for happy endings. "Stranger Than Fiction" was a film that opened in 2006 to great reviews, had a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding it, and then audiences began responding to the film rather poorly (at least where I live...Everyone I know that has seen it, hates it) and so it disappeared. "Stranger Than Fiction" is very original, well-written, well-acted, and very funny...Since it tells you what's going to happen at the end, I prayed that the writer wouldn't back out and change it. Then the ending happens and I found myself shaking my head disapprovingly. The ending is satisfying, nice to see...But, in my opinion, I would say this was one of the best films of the year...A nice break perhaps from a typical studio film, but I guess that's too much to ask for. Will Ferrell (once again blending nicely into a comedy-drama, following his scene stealing performance in "Winter Passing") plays Harold Crick, an IRS agent whose life is a seemingly endless circle of teeth brushing, working, and going to sleep. Harold has no life, no girlfriend, no friends, and his life is based around numbers. While the film never says it, Harold clearly has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and counts his brush strokes, stairs, steps, and relies heavily on his wristwatch (which seems to have a personality of its own). Then, one day, a strange thing happens. Harold finds that a female is narrating his life and only he can hear it. We know (in an example of dramatic irony, hilariously noted by Dustin Hoffman) that the narrator is Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson, who's terrific), a famous writer who hasn't published a novel in 10 years due to writer's block. Harold Crick is her main character and she's struggling with finding a way to kill him, so much so that her publishers have hired an assistant (Queen Latifah) to help her. Harold, fearing that he is crazy, suddenly begins taking the narrator seriously when she says that Harold will soon die. Fearing the worst, he consults a literary professor (Dustin Hoffman, who steals every scene he's in) who tells Harold to find out whether his story is a comedy or tragedy. Things aren't looking good for Harold since the odds are against him...He works for the IRS, everybody hates him. When he tries to file an audit on Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a baker, the whole bakery boos him. But then Ana begins to fall for Harold (surprisingly both Ferrell and Gyllenhaal have pretty good chemistry together) and things look up. Until a construction company almost demolishes his apartment, while he's inside watching TV Thompson's narration of the events is absolutely hilarious and Thompson's voice is so suited for the role. The movie has a great look to it and for a while I had a lot of hope for it. It kept heading in the direction of the non-stereotypical Hollywood comedy-drama, but opts out at the last second. I still enjoyed "Stranger Than Fiction" quite a bit and, as I said, I did enjoy the ending and maybe the ending I was hoping for wouldn't have worked as good. All the actors are perfectly cast in their roles...Ferrell is doing a very good job at slowly easing his way into the drama category, Hoffman & Thompson are perfect, and Latifah & Gyllenhaal add a lot of nice moments to the film. I recommend "Stranger Than Fiction" it's certainly one of the best films of its kind from 2006 and has a lot more originality than those other films.
GRADE: B+
And yes, it IS a tragedy!
posted on 19 Jul 2009A giant tragedy, that someone didn't make a real movie out if this otherwise cool idea! Just think of all the possibilities there could have been with a set like this! A man discovers that he is a person in a novel. What a surreal plot could have been born out of this! Once again, what possibilities would the author have had. But it all came different. No, it all came the usual old Hollywood way, where a boy meets a girl, he loves her, she hates him and in the end they're together in bed eating cookies after letting their co stars say some even more typical Hollywood pieces of wisdom about life and the universe itself...! Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh! And it all started so well. The first 20 minutes of the film were conceptually and especially visually so cool that I constantly thought about to whom out of all my friends I might recommend this film afterwards. But then it all changed and seeing it to the end was something between embarrassing pain and hope it still might "get the curve", as we say in German, meaning I still hoped for a clever and UNPREDICTABLE or at least CONSEQUENT ending. Well, no! Not this time. I still give it a 3 because of the beginning and the end titles, also visually beautiful made. What a pity - sigh! Charlie Kaufmann, please help us out!
A Lovely Surprising Movie
posted on 18 Jul 2009What a lovely surprise this movie was! I should have expected as much from the always wonderful Emma Thompson, but Will Ferrell was equally appealing. This unusual story about a man who discovers he is a character in a novel being written by the Emma Thompson character was sweet, tender and dare I say, heartwarming. Love Maggie Gyllenhaal too. Overall a great cast, a nicely written story, and especially a welcome break from the all too stupid, too violent, too vulgar, and/or too inane stories we see in film today. Really enjoyed it.
A most original story
posted on 14 Jul 2009I find the premise delightfully original: a mathematically-obsessed IRS agent (Will Farrell) starts hearing a women's voice ( Emma Thompson) in his head. Eventually, he discovers she is a...no need to reveal too much of the plot. Just waiting then finding out the source of the voice in his head is enough to make this more interesting than most movies. There are light touches of humor that blend in a charming way with the bittersweet drama of the story. When it comes to movies, I'm hard-to-please & I my experience with "Stranger Than Fiction" was absolutely enchanting.
Finding His Muse
posted on 12 Jul 2009Very creative and satisfying staging, filming, and casting. The director should get kudos for having the moxy to cast Queen Latifah against Emma Thompson, with Will Ferrell as the dramatic lead - this took guts, and surprisingly, it works most of the time. The basic idea is that Will Ferrell's life is a character in a novel that is being written by Emma Thompson and he has to discover who the narrator is, and then how to make contact. Dustin Hoffman (who I personally think is somewhat overrated as an actor - he plays almost the same character in every film) gives a credible role as an English Prof who asks Will Ferrell literary questions to help him discover who the narrator is. The director uses some interesting props and very well-designed sets to make this far-fetched concept seem marginally believable, very witty, and generally satisfying.
A cracking movie
posted on 31 Aug 2009'Stranger than Fiction' is a cracking movie and I thoroughly recommend it.
Like a good book, it draws you in and is a movie you won't want to put down. You get the feeling that (just like a good book) every scene is essential to the plot. There are no throwaway, knockabout or unessential scenes in this movie. Everything is important and worthy of your attention.
Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman are, as always, excellent, while Maggie Gyllenhaal is efforvescent and totally believable as the baker who falls for Will Ferrell's character the IRS agent. But it is Ferrell who is the most outstanding, giving a superb performance. We are big Will Ferrell fans in our family, but I for one wasn't sure that he could pull this one off. But his performance is maganificent. His deadpan delivery is outstanding and his transformation absolutely believable in this great movie.
The message of the film 'live for today' may be familiar, but the method of delivery in 'Stranger Than Fiction' is clever, original and very entertaining.
Although it's a comedy, it's not laugh out loud, but it will make you smile alot and you'll leave the cinema thinking 'that was a good movie'.
It's often easy to try to read too much into movies and over-intellectualise. Just enjoy this as a good story, well told and superbly acted. I'll be looking to add the DVD to my collection as soon as it's released.