Like Jim Carrey (The Truman Show) and Adam Sandler (Punch Drunk Love) before him, comedian Will Ferrell steps into unchartered territory in Stranger Than Fiction, attempting a serious role. And like his predecessors, manages to pull it off quite well.
Ferrell plays Harold Crick, one of the more boring people going around. Harold is an IRS agent and his life revolves around mathematics and predictability. One day he hears a voice narrating his actions.
The narrator (Emma Thompson) interrupts Harold's life on several occasions but when she announces his `imminent death' he gets some motivation to find out what the heck is going on. I don't find Ferrell all that funny in his other movies, mostly, but it was still intriguing to watch him play it pretty straight.
A good support cast including Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and Maggie Gyllenhaal add weight to the film which really is well done and extremely interesting. There are some flaws but given the type of movie it is they can be easily overlooked.
There are several funny moments, most notably the aforementioned scene announcing Harold's death. It is really a laugh-out-loud moment and one that stayed with me. Stranger Than Fiction is probably not going to appeal to everyone but it is high in quality and does carry a message, if you want to see it.
I'd say give it a go. I'm giving it an 8 out of 10.
2 comments:
Heard some good things about this film!
Am really keen to see it too!
...will let u know my thoughts when i finally make it there! Looking forward to it though!
I finally saw it, and i loved it!
I think you're right, it definately wouldnt appeal to everyone, but at the same time there is enough funny moments, slice of romance, drama, quirkiness to appeal in someway maybe...
You can read my post about it, but what i think made it for me was the acting - some great performances.
Plus, such a fun concept and they did it really well!
Someone said to me how it made them think of God's soverignty - like harold had his life narrated for him etc we have God in control of ours, and perhaps how we respond to that when we figure it out - with obedience, similar to the way harold responded at the end?
interesting thought anyway...
but very good movie!
id probably give it 8 out of 10 too :)
Post a Comment