AN IRS AUDITOR SUDDENLY FINDS HIMSELF THE SUBJECT OF NARRATIONONLY HE CAN HEAR: NARRATION THAT BEGINS TO AFFECT HIS ENTIRELIFE, FROM HIS WORK, TO HIS LOVE-INTEREST, TO HIS DEATH.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 visualizations 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 rewriting 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
Extras from Stranger Than Fiction
 “Counting Brush Strokes,” A featurette on the filming of Stranger Than Fictionhigh bandwidth |
 Tax Man!: A clip from the film |
 Queen Latifah on working with Emma Thompson high bandwidth |
Stills from Stranger Than Fiction (click for larger image)
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Beyond Stranger Than Fiction on Amazon.com
 Comic Actors Go Dramatic |
 CD Soundtrack |
 Emma Thompson Essentials |
Buy “Stranger Than Fiction” For Only $2.76
March 5, 2010
#1
This movie is revolting and an insult to the human race. Spend your money on your favorite worthy cause.
IF I had paid to see it, (I saw in on a complimentary pass to drum up hype) I would have asked for my money back. It was simply the most revolting and insulting movie I’ve seen in my life. I kept waiting for it to have purpose. No joy… I seriously wish I had walked out and gotten that wasted two hours back in my life.
I’m truly saddened by the reviews that think this is film is funny in the face of humans across the world trying to understand each other and to get along without annihilating one another. I’m also disheartened by SO much money being spent to view this piece of trash, when there are so many worthy “sparklers” of entertainment that deserve support and go unnoticed. Likewise it would be nice to see the millions being spent attending this movie on battling the prejudices used as the butts of the attempts at humor.
PLEASE do not support this type of stupidity with your cash, even in the spirit of morbid curiosity.
BTW, I am NOT a prude, and enjoy an off-color joke or even corny joke as much as the next guy, but nonstop insults to intelligence, does not constitute entertainment for me. Heck I even like Animal House and Airplane…
March 5, 2010
#2
Slow and had to turn it off because whole family disliked it. Not recommended.
March 5, 2010
#3
The speed of how a movie progresses is important to viewers because the producers want to keep the audience drawn into their film. This movie progresses at a snails pace and then ending isn’t the best either. BOO!!
March 5, 2010
#4
Maybe I saw a different movie because I thought this was one of the worst I have seen in a long time. I didn’t get the love story, Ferrell and Gyllenhaal had no chemistry. Ferell wasn’t even funny. I saw this movie with my husband and his parents. I was the only one who stayed awake.
March 5, 2010
#5
Will Ferrell has been to my taste one of the most talented comedians ever to appear on SNL, and I had looked forward to him acting in movies. I’m still SURE he can act and can be funny as heck, but almost all the roles he’s been taking so far don’t do justice to his talents, perhaps with arguable exception of “Elf” and “Anchorman.”
Will, you can do MUCH better than that.
“Stranger Than Fiction” is a waste of Will Ferrell’s talent and waste of your (and mine) time. The “funniness” of this “comedy” would suffice for about 10 minutes of gags total, and when the same two or three “funny” ideas are dragged for 113 minutes it becomes a torture. Not recommended.
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Finally, there is a movie that came a little closer to showing Will Ferrell’s comic potential: “Blades of Glory.” It’s a nice crazy comedy. Keep them coming, Will.