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“Stranger than Fiction” is a sweet, charming, funny and smart film. It showcases confident direction, innovative writing and some surprising performances. If you like your films character-led, clever and a little different from the norm then this should be just your cup of tea. It will ... Read review
Much was written about Will Ferrell's first "dramatic role" as Harold Crick, an IRS ... more
auditor who begins hearing a voice narrating his life. ButStranger Than Fictionis hardly a drama. However, what Ferrell does--like Jim Carrey before him inThe Truman Sh...
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Much was written about Will Ferrell's first "dramatic role" as Harold Crick, an IRS ... more
auditor who begins hearing a voice narrating his life. ButStranger Than Fictionis hardly a drama. However, what Ferrell does--like Jim Carrey before him inThe Truman Sh...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely tax man whose world is turned upside-down ... more
when he starts hearing a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help of Professor Jules Hilbert, the bewildered and hilariously resistant Harold discovers he'...
Original One Sheet; Rolled Poster; Poster Condition: New; Size: 27 x 40 inches approx. All ... more
our items are despatched from the United Kingdom. Starring - Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson, Manufacturer: MoviePostersDirect
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Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a lonely tax agent whose world is turned upside-down ... more
when he starts hearing a mysterious voice narrating his life. With the help of professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), the bewildered and hilariously resistant Harold discovers he's the main character in a novel and that the voice belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an eccentric author famous for killing off her characters in creative ways. Finding unexpected comfort in an unlikely romance with a tax client (Maggie Gylienhaal), Harold goes in search of Eiffel in a bid to stop her before she conjures up a way to finish him off.
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Production Year: 2000 - Comedy - Director: David Raynr - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Jodi Lyn O'Keefe, Shane West, Marla Sokoloff, James Franco, Colin Hanks, Christine Lakin, Aaron Paul
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Advantages: A great straight performance from Ferrell, sharp direction and a smart script. Disadvantages: Some underwritten roles.
Harold Crick is probably the most boring man on the planet. He’s a tax inspector who can’t stop counting things and sticks rigidly to the same routine day in and day out. That is until he starts hearing a woman’s voice narrating his every move. He starts to question his sanity so goes to see a psychiatrist who sends him to see eccentric literature professor Jules Hilbert. It soon becomes apparent that Harold is in fact a character in a story written ... ...her characters always die at the end of her stories. But Harold has just met feisty baker Ana and finally has something to live for…
“Finding Neverland” director Marc Forster proves equally confident helming a post-modern existentialist comedy as a period biopic. He shoots with style and confidence; his visuals are always clear and crisp and he has the requisite timing for comedy. His editing is snappy and he cuts away at just the ... more
Harold Crick is probably the most boring man on the planet. He’s a tax inspector who can’t stop counting things and sticks rigidly to the same routine day in and day out. That is until he starts hearing a woman’s voice narrating his every move. He starts to question his sanity so goes to see a psychiatrist who sends him to see eccentric literature professor Jules Hilbert. It soon becomes apparent that Harold is in fact a character in a story written by reclusive author Karen Eiffel. The only problem is that her characters always die at the end of her stories. But Harold has just met feisty baker Ana and finally has something to live for…
“Finding Neverland” director Marc Forster proves equally confident helming a post-modern existentialist comedy as a period biopic. He shoots with style and confidence; his visuals are always clear and crisp and he has the requisite timing for comedy. His editing is snappy and he cuts away at just the right moment to make things funny. He also isn’t afraid to throw jokes away, so the laughs come naturally. He’s one of the few directors of recent years to keep Will Ferrell on a short leash, so he doesn’t over-egg the character comedy or hold on to gags too long. Despite the large number of heightened or completely over-the-top characters, the director doesn’t try to make too much of them so the comedy develops organically. He clearly feels for his players and his affection for them translates easily to the audience, so you understand the difficult author-character relationship.
Forster’s visual style is playful, using computer-generated effects to illustrate Harold’s preoccupation with quantifying everything. So we see on-screen graphics that show his calculations, from pie-charts to running tallies of numbers. There are also flipping panels that show slightly different perspectives of the same events, which makes establishing shots more interesting than usual. The film is unusual in that the voice-over narration is integral to the plot, so it doesn’t feel intrusive and the director makes the most of its comic potential, having Will Ferrell pause just long enough for the importance of the disembodied voice’s words to take effect. Apparently Ferrell had an earpiece through which he could hear the narration, which means the timing is perfect. The various deaths Karen dreams up for Harold are played out with relish, as are his near-misses as Forster builds tension before puncturing it with humour. But the thing about his gimmicks is that they all serve the story, so you never feel like you’re bumping from one effect to the next. This makes for a funny, sharp hundred and thirteen minutes of cinematic entertainment.
Zach Helm’s screenplay is smart and insightful but not clever-clever. The central conceit of a man discovering he’s a character in a story may be a post-modern construct begging for critical appreciation, but Helm doesn’t make the concept his main focus. The story is very much about Harold and how he deals with the revelation. So the writing has real warmth and humanity because the writer clearly cares about his luckless leading man. He may be a sad sack, but he’s a loveable sad sack who only wakes up to the possibilities of living when his destiny is taken out of his hands. Helm is most interested in the way author and character relate to each other and illustrates the complexities of their relationships with ease, right down to their traumatic meeting. But he doesn’t ignore Harold’s relationship with Ana, making it clumsy and sweet. Many of the peripheral characters supply the obvious comic relief, like the beardy weirdy counsellor Harold goes to see or his Trekkie friend, but they aren’t overused. That being said, some of the parts are underwritten, such as Karen’s assistant Penny, who isn’t given chance to develop into a real person. The pacing is solid, balancing character development with incident, so you’re allowed to get to know the players, while Harold’s surreal experience plays out. The dialogue is sharp and witty rather than outright funny on most occasions, though there are some nice plays on words (like the hero bringing Ana flours). Karen Eiffel’s voice-over narration works because it is literary in tone and suggests the writer has greater knowledge of Harold’s life than he does. So it immediately sets the stage for conflict.
As Harold Crick, Will Ferrell proves he’s capable of more than buffooning and tomfoolery. He plays completely straight as the uptight tax inspector, but still showcases great comic timing. His deadpan delivery allows the script to speak for itself, instead of drowning under the weight of his OTT characterisation as is often the case with his performances. He comes across as extremely dull but ultimately well meaning, with the innocence of a child. This helps to make him extremely sympathetic, as does his gentle relationship with Ana. I can only hope for more straight roles from him.
Emma Thompson plays against type as stressed-out writer Karen Eiffel. There’s no English reserve or stiff upper lip. She’s a depressed, raddled and a sickly woman at the end of her tether. She takes her frustrations about her writer’s block out on everyone else and her constant state of tension results in an entirely appropriate twitchy, fidgety performance. She’s always hunched over, looking like she’s at death’s door - as well you might if you’d been thinking about how to kill a man for so long.
I really like Dustin Hoffman in the roles he’s chosen in the autumn of career. They’re less about playing The Method and more about having fun and doing stuff you enjoy. He has real twinkle when playing Professor Jules Hilbert, clearly lapping up the chance to play another endearing eccentric. He’s bluff and mischievous and shows nice comic delivery. Maggie Gyllenhaal is always effective as a love interest because she seems so cutesy and well, genuine. As Ana she’s bright, fizzy, spirited and fun – the complete antithesis of Harold and therefore the perfect partner for him. It’s a shame the same can’t be said for Queen Latifah as Karen’s assistant Penny, who tries hard but is fighting a losing battle in an underwritten role.
The soundtrack features an original score by Britt Daniel and Brian Ritzell that alternates traditional orchestral arrangements with electronic music and guitar motifs. So though the film opens with jaunty guitar and keyboard melodies with flurries of tambourine it veers towards emotive cello motifs to add emotional depth to certain scenes. In fact there’s a bit of a seventies’ flavour to the music throughout, using electric guitar, Hammond organ and backing singers knocking out a few oo-oos. This is reflected in the rest of the soundtrack, which leans heavily on British punk and new wave, most notably The Jam’s “That’s Entertainment”. It’s an eclectic mix, but it somehow hangs together.
“Stranger than Fiction” is a sweet, charming, funny and smart film. It showcases confident direction, innovative writing and some surprising performances. If you like your films character-led, clever and a little different from the norm then this should be just your cup of tea. It will make you smile laugh and maybe even cry in places. It’s a film I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for something uplifting to watch.
Advantages: Satisfyingly intellectual, Original premise, Great performance from Ferrell Disadvantages: The romance didn't quite work for me
Stranger Than Fiction (2006) (FILM ONLY REVIEW) Genre: Comedy/Drama
Certificate: 12A (UK), PG-13 (USA)
Running time: 113 minutes
Director: Marc Forster
Writer: Zach Helm
Main Cast:
Will Ferrell – Harold Crick
Emma Thompson – Kay Eiffel
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Ana Pascal
Dustin Hoffman – Prof. Jules Hilbert
Queen Latifah – Penny Escher
“Stranger than Fiction” is a bit of a hard film to categorise. Part comedy and part drama, there is also a ... ...based on a simple yet intriguing and (please forgive the pun) novel premise. It brings to mind a number of other films, notably Charlie Kaufman’s “Adaptation” and “Being John Malkovich”, with which it shares a metaphysical element, existential themes and intellectual ambitions. However, “Stranger than Fiction” does not quite reach the same levels of complexity as these films – it appears instead to be a Kaufman film for people who aren’t smart enough ...
Collingwood21 17.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stranger Than Fiction (DVD)
Advantages: Good film, very good acting. Disadvantages: Quite predictable.
Title: Stranger Than Fiction
--------------------------------------------
Cast: Will Ferrell- Harrold Crick
Emma Thompson- Karen Eiffel
Maggie Gyllenhaal- Ana Pascal
Dustin Hofman- Jools Hilbert
Queen Latifa- Penny Escher
Director: Marc Forster
-------------------------
The Plot
-------------------------
Harold Crick is an IRS man who leads a pretty normal life. His life is run by numbers and he does the same thing every day at the same ... ...voice, the even weirder thing is, that this woman's voice is describing him and everything he is doing or is about to do. He goes to a shrink and they say that what he is describing is schizophrenia, he is adamant that it's not. The voice is not telling him what to do; she is explaining what he is about to do or what he has just done. Then one day whilst standing at the bus stop, his 'narrator' starts to talk about his imminent death. He needs help ...
DixieChick10 26.10.2007 (27.10.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stranger Than Fiction (DVD)
Advantages: Very funny, great story Disadvantages: I can't say Will Ferrell is an idiot anymore
Going against the grain of everyone I know I can't stand Will Ferrell, (or Will Ferret as I call him due to his tiny eyes. I also hate ferrets, it all fits.) I hate the type of crappy, simple-minded comedies that he stars in and I avoid his movies now. However, I saw a trailer for _Stranger Than Fiction_ and I was intrigued. He didn't seem to be playing the same dumb, slap-stick character and the film seemed to have a good story. The fact Dustin ... ...fact the DVD cost me a nice £1 new off the internet swung it for me. The film is about Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), Harold Crick is an IRS agent. He is a very introverted, lonely man who does nothing but work. He counts everything and his only pass-time is mathematics. As an IRS agent he is not well liked and has only one friend who he only talks to briefly in work. His life starts to change as he hears a narrators voice in his head. The voice seems ...
Phelthew 12.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stranger Than Fiction (DVD)
Advantages: A decent cast, director and storyline Disadvantages: It's hard to accept Will Ferrell in a Serious role
I've always found that films with Will Ferrell in tend to have the best clips in the advert. It seemed odd then that he had teamed up with Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Maggie Gyllenhaal, my first thoughts were perhaps this would be a different type of Ferrell performance. Having seen the adverts it seemed a far more serious film than most of Ferrell's back catalogue and while I started watching it with an open mind, part of me was thinking whether ... ...Crick, an IRS agent who does everything to a set routine, all set by his ultra reliable watch. One day though something changes and suddenly Crick can hear a narrator (Emma Thompson) talking about his life. As anyone would be this freaks him out a little and causes him to seek help. Only instead of trying the methods proposed by a psychiatrist, he turns instead to a literature professor, Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who tries to help him determine ...
Andy.mack 06.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stranger Than Fiction (DVD)
Advantages: Quirky, Charming Disadvantages: Difficult to get into, Not as much of a comedy element as expected
I came across the film 'Stranger than Fiction' one night last week when I was bored and flicking through the movie channels on Sky tv. When I read the little synopsis that Sky provide for each film, I must admit it did not strike me as my kind of film but I gave it a go because I love Will Ferrell movies.
The film centres around Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), who lives an excruciatingly routine and boring life as an auditor for the IRS. Crick suddenly ... ...his life as it happens. As he completes an action, the narrator will duly describe in detail what is occuring.
The film cuts between Harold and the real-life narrator, who is a chain smoking recluse called Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) that is suffering from writers block and is being followed around by an assistant, Penny (Queen Latifah) that has been employed by the publisher. We discover that Eiffel is an author that specialises in killing off ...
shanediablo 14.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Stranger Than Fiction (DVD)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Departed (DVD)
Harold--an IRS agent with a dull, solitary life--receives unwanted company in the form of an intrusive female voice narrating his every move. As distracting as this is, things become truly worrisome when the narrator informs Harold of his looming death.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS, UCA; CINRAM LOGISTICS (SWINDON)
Five featurettes, Storyboard comparisons, Blooper reel, Deleted scenes, Interactive menu
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
One of the comedies of the year - a brilliantly clever tale (Daily Mirror, 27/02/2007)
DVD Description
Known to most audiences for his hilarious characters, funnyman Will Ferrell continues to try his hand at more serious material with STRANGER THAN FICTION. The film comes as relatively light fare for director Marc Foster, whose previous works were FINDING NEVERLAND and MONSTER'S BALL. While not exactly a drama, the film shifts between humorous and heavy realms, one of its central questions being: 'What makes a comedy or a tragedy?' In WINTER PASSING and MELINDA AND MELINDA, Ferrell awkwardly occupied a strange space that was neither clearly dramatic nor comedic, leaving audiences confused over whether to laugh at the actor or with him. Here, in the role of boring Harold Crick he appears a bit more at ease, as Harold is not expected to be funny--funny things just happen to him. Instead of depending on Ferrell for jokes, the film delivers laughs on its own by exploring what happens when an IRS agent with a dull, solitary life receives unwanted company in the form of an intrusive female voice narrating his every move. As distracting as this is, things become truly worrisome when the narrator (Emma Thompson as an eccentric author) informs Harold of his looming death. How Harold’s life changes as a result of this terrifying knowledge depends largely on wacky Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) and on tax-evading baker/love interest Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). While Queen Latifah’s role as an author’s assistant is underdeveloped, Tony Hale brings an innocent charm as Harold’s coworker and only friend. At times, the film’s take on existentialist themes feels strikingly familiar, and is clearly influenced by features like ADAPTATION and I HEART HUCKABEES. Among its strengths, the film features interesting sets seemingly influenced by the 1950s version of the future, and functions as a small step forward for Ferrell.
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