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Stranger Than Fiction
2006
An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death. Read more
| Starring | Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah |
|---|---|
| Director | Marc Forster |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
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Stranger Than Fiction
An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.
| Starring | Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Emma Thompson, Tony Hale |
|---|---|
| Director | Marc Forster |
| Studio | SONY PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Audio Descriptive, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy |
| Language | DVD: English, English Audio Description Blu-ray: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English, Hindi |
| Released | DVD: 02 Apr 2007 Blu-ray: 02 Apr 2007 Production year: 2006 |
| Format | DVD |
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Most helpful member's review
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109 out of 117 people found this review helpful
Masterpiece of its type
This is, for me, the Groundhog Day of the 00s. It's a hugely engaging, quirky high-concept film which could have gone so horribly wrong in dozens of ways, and yet - it steers a path through all the potential traps to deliver something that is very funny, very moving and very memorable. Will Ferrell is perfectly cast as Harold Crick and rarely will you feel such empathy with a character in a film as he struggles to come to terms with the strange way in which his life is unfolding. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson bring a richness to their respective supporting roles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is as winning as usual as the love interest.
The script contains just the right balance of humour, pathos and drama. The opening few minutes may irritate you, as you adjust to the eccentric style and tone of this film, but once it hits its stride, it's truly captivating. There's not quite enough for Queen Latifah to do, and there are a few sections which drag a tiny bit around the middle, but these are small criticisms of a masterly piece of work, which offers something genuinely different and refreshing. The scene in which Hoffman attempts to discern by interrogating Harold what the nature of the narrative is in which he is the hero - a comedy or a tragedy - is a standout moment at the heart of this clever and superb film. I think people will be talking about this film in years to come in the same affectionate manner as they do Groundhog Day. But history may prove me wrong on that. It's just a great example of a film which gets pretty much everything right, and the result is sheer entertainment. -
Most recent members' review
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3 out of 5 people found this review helpful
Fun Fiction?
First of all I have to point out that this film is NOT a comedy - if you expect to laugh you will be disappointed. What we have instead is an intelligent, if somewhat overated, film that explores a mundane man's life and how he reacts when he's forced to see it from a third person perspective.
Harold Crick is a man destined to be ordinary in every way - he gets up at the same time everyday, gets the same bus to work every morning and doesn't have any friends apart from one work colleague. But his ordinary life takes a turn when he starts to hear a woman's voice, narrating his every action - even before it's happened. But the possibility of madness is nothing compared to the voice's announcement that his death is 'imminent'...
At this point we follow Harold's attempts to find the voice's owner and understand the plot he's found himself in. Anyone who has studied literature or narrative theory will find a few nice references to plot devices and characterisation as the film goes on. But clever as this is it isn't really much fun. Though I enjoyed the film, the story did seem to drag on, and then suffered from the usual cliches you see 'coming a mile away'. The acting is excellent, though Hoffman appeared bored in a number of his scenes - Will Ferrell certainly proves here that he can carry off a serious role.
Overall this is a good film and could have been excellent if it didn't take itself so seriously. The subject matter has been done before and better in far more impressive films (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind for example). But this is still worth a watch, and is hopefully the start of Will Ferrell taking on more than just comedy. -
News and features
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Last Chance Harvey
- 03 Jun 2009
Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is a composer… a composer of jingles. That is, he used to be – as the movie begins he’s been shown the door, he just refuses to go through it. Go he must, though, to attend his daughter’s wedding in London. Harvey’s wife has remarried and it’s clear he wasn’t around as much as he might have been when Susan (Liane Balaban) was growing up. He’s never met the groom. Even so, he’s dismayed to find he’s been... Read more
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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 ... -
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An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.... -