Stranger than Fiction
Director: Marc Foster
Cast: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Hollywood hasn't been known for its risk-taking in recent years. Between the remakes, sequels (and prequels), literary classic adaptations and comic book movies all the truly original films get passed over, only to be snapped up by the more visionary independents. Some of the more savvy studios have created their own indie divisions, realising there is money to be made (art doesn't usually come into the equation), but from the safety of distribution deals. It's thanks to this that we got to see some original, off-beat films like Donnie Darko, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. Stranger than Fiction is another movie of that ilk.
Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is a tax inspector. His life is dull and routine, bordering on the obsessive/compulsive. He has no real friends, and a few work acquaintances. One morning he hears a woman's voice narrating his life, describing in eloquent detail the minutiae of his boring existence. Naturally, this causes him some concern.
Elsewhere in the city, renowned and reclusive author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is struggling with her latest novel, Death and Taxes, about a tax man called Harold Crick. Although she won't admit to writer's block, she can't find a way to kill off the main character because in her books the protagonists always die.
The trouble starts when Harold hears the words, "Little did he know that events had been set in motion that would lead to his imminent death". Harold figures out that what he is hearing is a story being narrated so enlists the aid of an eminent professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman) to try and discover what the story is about.
Added to this mix, Harold is auditing Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a feisty young woman who runs a small bakery. In an unlikely turn of events the pair fall for each other, as Harold tries to break out of his routines and have a life, while he still can. He is also trying to track down the author to convince her to alter the ending of the story.
At the risk of sounding clichéd, this really is a great feel-good movie. It has romance, it has comedy and it is surreal enough not to make them cloying. Ferrell is brilliant, managing to get both laughter and tears from the audience as the put-upon everyman, playing it with just the right amount of deadpan. Hoffman seems to be building up a body of work playing intellectuals or pseudo-intellectuals. Gyllenhaal is vivacious as Ana, giving another mesmerising performance without overdoing the theatrics. Thompson's hand-wringing, chain-smoking author is just the right side of manic eccentric, without going over the top, which could be quite easy to do, turning Eiffel into a caricature rather than a character.
It helps that the cast has a great script to work with. Zach Helm has written a screenplay that is as surreal as Charlie Kaufman, but with a lot more love and laughter.
Highly recommended off-beat rom-com that even blokes can enjoy. On general release from December 1.
Official website
Cast: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Hollywood hasn't been known for its risk-taking in recent years. Between the remakes, sequels (and prequels), literary classic adaptations and comic book movies all the truly original films get passed over, only to be snapped up by the more visionary independents. Some of the more savvy studios have created their own indie divisions, realising there is money to be made (art doesn't usually come into the equation), but from the safety of distribution deals. It's thanks to this that we got to see some original, off-beat films like Donnie Darko, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. Stranger than Fiction is another movie of that ilk.
Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is a tax inspector. His life is dull and routine, bordering on the obsessive/compulsive. He has no real friends, and a few work acquaintances. One morning he hears a woman's voice narrating his life, describing in eloquent detail the minutiae of his boring existence. Naturally, this causes him some concern.
Elsewhere in the city, renowned and reclusive author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is struggling with her latest novel, Death and Taxes, about a tax man called Harold Crick. Although she won't admit to writer's block, she can't find a way to kill off the main character because in her books the protagonists always die.
The trouble starts when Harold hears the words, "Little did he know that events had been set in motion that would lead to his imminent death". Harold figures out that what he is hearing is a story being narrated so enlists the aid of an eminent professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman) to try and discover what the story is about.
Added to this mix, Harold is auditing Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a feisty young woman who runs a small bakery. In an unlikely turn of events the pair fall for each other, as Harold tries to break out of his routines and have a life, while he still can. He is also trying to track down the author to convince her to alter the ending of the story.
At the risk of sounding clichéd, this really is a great feel-good movie. It has romance, it has comedy and it is surreal enough not to make them cloying. Ferrell is brilliant, managing to get both laughter and tears from the audience as the put-upon everyman, playing it with just the right amount of deadpan. Hoffman seems to be building up a body of work playing intellectuals or pseudo-intellectuals. Gyllenhaal is vivacious as Ana, giving another mesmerising performance without overdoing the theatrics. Thompson's hand-wringing, chain-smoking author is just the right side of manic eccentric, without going over the top, which could be quite easy to do, turning Eiffel into a caricature rather than a character.
It helps that the cast has a great script to work with. Zach Helm has written a screenplay that is as surreal as Charlie Kaufman, but with a lot more love and laughter.
Highly recommended off-beat rom-com that even blokes can enjoy. On general release from December 1.
Official website
posted by Chris Patmore at 11:08 AM
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