Barely been on here for a YEAR! Sorry If I've not been able to respond to anything. Hope you are all...
Barely been on here for a YEAR! Sorry If I've not been able to respond to anything. Hope you are all doing very well x
Member since:24.05.2007
Reviews:51
Members who trust:25
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 begins to hear a voice which happens to be narrating 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 her main characters, and it becomes apparent pretty quickly to Harold from the narration that she wants to kill him off.
Struck by the fear of death, Harold seeks out advice from Jules Hibbert (Dustin Hoffman) who is a professor that is a literary expert. After much discussion Hibbert suggests that if it is correct that his life is being narrated, Harold must work out whether he is in a comedy or tragedy.
Harold can really feel his life change when he meets Ana Pascal (Maggie Gylenhall) a baker that he is assigned to audit. Ana fascinates Harold and his professionalism drops when he is around her. As his relationship with Ana blossoms, Harold becomes convinced that perhaps he could be living in a comedy rather than the dreaded tragedy. Eiffel may have other ideas.
The film is certainly not a conventional one by any means and is a little alien to Will Ferrell, more known for his low brow comedies. The narration can be difficult to adapt to as the viewer, which can make it seem pretty annoying at first but once you settle into the film it is easier to accept because of its significance to the story. The character Harold is difficult to empathise with until he meets the lovely Ana who quite frankly is a character I could fall in love with! Their relatioship developing is where the films takes more of an upturn in terms of viewer interest from my own perspective.
Will Ferrell perfectly embodies the dour nature of Harold and Maggie Gylenhall is even better and endearing as Ana. The support performances of Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman are different in their nature - Thompson is convincing as Eiffel but utterly lacks charisma as has always been the case in her career. Hoffman is amusing in his limited airtime and plays his quirky role with plenty of on-screen presence.
This film is by no means a classic, but it really tries to create an unconventional romantic story with some humour. The film succeeds in making the the love angle a pretty sweet and charming fare but I feel that the film does lack in terms of comedy element. I rarely laughed during this film and find it hard to imagine that anybody could find this to be a real comedy - there is plenty to smile about but few laughs.
On the whole I would sum this film up as a feel good movie that as long as you don't get fooled into thinking it is going to be laugh a minute humour, should be very watchable and mildly enjoyable.
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Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
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
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
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: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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'...
Advantages: Easy to understand - documents ALL her life and her impact upon England as a ruler. Disadvantages: Some people might prefer a 'traditional' film adaptation.
Advantages: Witty, gritty, thrilling... the best gangster film I've seen in years. Disadvantages: A bit of a Deus ex machina ending, some predictable moments...negligable really
Entwife 08.06.2007 (04.02.2008)
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Jul 14th, 2008
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