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Much was written about Will Ferrell's first "dramatic role" as Harold Crick, an IRS auditor who begins hearing a voice narrating his life. But Stranger Than Fiction is hardly a drama. However, what Ferrell does--like Jim Carrey before him in The Truman Show--is handle a toned-down character with genuineness and affection: you believe he is this guy. Crick leads a lonely life filled with numbers and routines. While at first he considers the voice a nuisance, Crick decides more action is needed when it speaks of "his demise." Enter Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who takes on the absurd notion with revelry, trying to find out what kind of book Crick's life is leading. It turns out that the voice Crick is hearing belongs to Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a very real--and troubled--author who is writing a book in which Crick is a fictional character. As usual with these things, the stuffed shirt learns to live a better life--Crick even falls for one of his audits, a brash baker named Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
Marc Foster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland) has the right tone for the film, using great urban scenes (the unnamed city is Chicago) with interesting visualisations of Crick's world of numbers. He also directs Ferrell, Hoffman, and Gyllenhaal to their most charming performances (plus Linda Hunt and Tom Hulce pop up in two funny scenes). Ferrell succeeds in being a romantic lead you can root for; a scene where he eats Ana's freshly baked cookies is totally delightful without a hint of sarcasm. Screenwriter Zach Helm has two personal traits with his story: like Crick he followed his heart (he stopped re-writing scripts and only worked on his own) and like Eiffel, the final results are not a masterpiece, but good, and entertaining enough. Britt Daniel of the band Spoon worked on the dynamite soundtrack. --Doug Thomas
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) lives a boring life. He has no friends or social life. He works as an auditor for the IRS. He's so boring that he counts the number of times he brushes his teeth in the morning and the number of steps he takes.
All that changes one Wednesday. When he wakes up that morning, he hears a voice narrating his every action. Of course, this creeps him out, and his co-workers begin to notice his odd behavior. But things get even worse on his way home from work when the voice predicts his imminent death.
Harold doesn't relish that idea, so he begins to look for help with his problem. Eventually, he comes in contact with English professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who tries to help him figure out what to do from a literary standpoint.
Meanwhile, famed novelist Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is trying to figure out how to end her latest book, DEATH AND TAXES. She's got everything except how to kill off her main character, Harold Crick.
As far as I can remember, I've only seen one other Will Ferrell movie. Most of the previews look too over the top for my taste. This one intrigued me, however, so I set aside my prejudices and went to see it. I'm glad I did.
To be honest, I expected a funnier movie. This isn't Ferrell's normal over the top gag fest. It is funny, and I laughed through most of it. Just not as often as I thought I would.
That's because there's an underlying pathos to the story. Facing death, Harold realizes that he's never really lived. This gives him the boldness to go for some things he's always wanted to do and make some friends. The performances by the entire cast wonderfully walk the balance between the comedy and the more elements of the film.
Yeah, there were scenes that could have been funnier, but I like the final product. It's a great mix of comedy and drama that kept me entertained for the full two hours.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go hang out with my friends.
All that changes one Wednesday. When he wakes up that morning, he hears a voice narrating his every action. Of course, this creeps him out, and his co-workers begin to notice his odd behavior. But things get even worse on his way home from work when the voice predicts his imminent death.
Harold doesn't relish that idea, so he begins to look for help with his problem. Eventually, he comes in contact with English professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who tries to help him figure out what to do from a literary standpoint.
Meanwhile, famed novelist Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is trying to figure out how to end her latest book, DEATH AND TAXES. She's got everything except how to kill off her main character, Harold Crick.
As far as I can remember, I've only seen one other Will Ferrell movie. Most of the previews look too over the top for my taste. This one intrigued me, however, so I set aside my prejudices and went to see it. I'm glad I did.
To be honest, I expected a funnier movie. This isn't Ferrell's normal over the top gag fest. It is funny, and I laughed through most of it. Just not as often as I thought I would.
That's because there's an underlying pathos to the story. Facing death, Harold realizes that he's never really lived. This gives him the boldness to go for some things he's always wanted to do and make some friends. The performances by the entire cast wonderfully walk the balance between the comedy and the more elements of the film.
Yeah, there were scenes that could have been funnier, but I like the final product. It's a great mix of comedy and drama that kept me entertained for the full two hours.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I need to go hang out with my friends.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Pr'aps not an obvious candidate for the HD treatment this one but as it goes the film really benefits. It was shot in a kinda hyper-real style so that trippy scenes are washed-out, dream-like, and those don't upscale well from the standard DVD. Bang-in the Blu-Ray and everything changes: it is crystal clear, deeper somehow - that helps you break further into the film. I like that a lot, especially when the film itself is so special - don't go in expecting a comedy, it's actually an incredibly sweet and gentle love story.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Truly enjoyable little oddball film. Well mixed part comedy part drama that is funny, warm and thought provoking at the same time.
Will Ferrell gives his best performance by far as a man who notices that he's a character in somebodys book. This time his true comedic abilities to make subtle comedy come to reality. Well balanced effort by him. He is really funny when needed and also convincing when more drama. This time he's acting and not just goofing around. Perhaps his best role so far - haven't seen all his films but many his earlier comedies show certain tendencies to "goof" around.
Maggie Gyllenhaal should have earned academy award nomination for actress in a supporting role for her performance as Ana Pascal. She's one of the most talented young actresses in Hollywood today. Great effort by her. There some magnificent strength in her acting - things do happen when she's on screen.
Dustin Hoffman is good as always. He's actually hilarious ans so is Emma Thompson, but in a different way.
This still might not be for everyones taste. Like I said, a bit of an oddball film, strange in many ways which I personally like. Does take an different look at the reality. If you don't like "strange" films like "the Royal Tenenbaums" for example, you probably end up hating this. I for one liked "the Royal Tenenbaum" a lot and found very similar qualities in this one, so for me this one was a treat.
Not necessarily like any other film out there and has its own aura, so really no need to compare thhis film to any other film out there. Have to say, that I come out of the theater elevated.
In my mind, one of the best I saw in the year 2006. I will revisit this movie in the near future - that's a promise.
Will Ferrell gives his best performance by far as a man who notices that he's a character in somebodys book. This time his true comedic abilities to make subtle comedy come to reality. Well balanced effort by him. He is really funny when needed and also convincing when more drama. This time he's acting and not just goofing around. Perhaps his best role so far - haven't seen all his films but many his earlier comedies show certain tendencies to "goof" around.
Maggie Gyllenhaal should have earned academy award nomination for actress in a supporting role for her performance as Ana Pascal. She's one of the most talented young actresses in Hollywood today. Great effort by her. There some magnificent strength in her acting - things do happen when she's on screen.
Dustin Hoffman is good as always. He's actually hilarious ans so is Emma Thompson, but in a different way.
This still might not be for everyones taste. Like I said, a bit of an oddball film, strange in many ways which I personally like. Does take an different look at the reality. If you don't like "strange" films like "the Royal Tenenbaums" for example, you probably end up hating this. I for one liked "the Royal Tenenbaum" a lot and found very similar qualities in this one, so for me this one was a treat.
Not necessarily like any other film out there and has its own aura, so really no need to compare thhis film to any other film out there. Have to say, that I come out of the theater elevated.
In my mind, one of the best I saw in the year 2006. I will revisit this movie in the near future - that's a promise.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Enjoyable movie with an unusual twist
A really interesting movie with an charming storyline that requires you to suspend belief, but somehow pulls it off. Read more
Published 16 days ago by ARCHIE
Stranger Than Fiction
I love this film. It's different and quirky. My boyfriend does not usually like Will Ferrell films but liked this one!
Published 1 month ago by loobie
Funny and thought provoking
This neat film provides a thoughtful reflection on the natural process of internal dialogue with a twist. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Alias Florence
Original, funny and sweet...
I couldn't ask more of a movie. In a generation where there's so many remakes and sequels, and ultimately the same movie with a different title being made over and over again; it's... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Em
does not work on EU devices
this bluray does not work on EU devices. it should be clearly part of the product description.
do not buy if you have an EU device
do not buy if you have an EU device
Published 2 months ago by sefiller
Rubbish. Waste of time.
I didn't like it.
Found it unrealistic and just didn't enjoy the film.
It wasn't funny or interesting. Not something I would recommend
Found it unrealistic and just didn't enjoy the film.
It wasn't funny or interesting. Not something I would recommend
Published 5 months ago by Stuff buyer
Pleasantly surprised
I was expecting this to be another slapstick comedy starring Will Ferrell, but I was pleasantly surprised. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Anon
Great Film
I am a massive Will Ferrell fan and have been for years. Only discovered this film recently whilst browsing his IMDB page. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Tomolo
Death by Novel-Writing, or "Little Did He Know ..."
I'm not going to make any great claims for this movie, and yet it is thoroughly enjoyable, a little gem of marvel and wit. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Nicholas Casley
Surprisingly Great Acting from Ferrell!
I am not a huge Will Ferrell fan so I was a bit apprenhensive on first watching this, however, I very much enjoyed this film. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Louise Roberts
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