Genre
Comedy | Drama | Fantasy
Director
Marc Forster
Country
USA
Cast
Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Tony Hale, Tom Hulce, Linda Unt, Kristin Chenoweth
Storyline
Harold (Will Ferrell) suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear; a narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.
Opinion
Before this, I've never thought it would have been possible to actually love a film starring Will Ferrell. But what can I tell you? "Stranger Than Fiction" simply is not your average comedy, rather it is a brilliant, complex, and clever dark comedy that everyone should see.
The most intriguing thing about the film is arguably the story. Very original - maybe someone would argue on that because of "The Truman Show", and if you ask me they are not the same thing - it is incredibly engaging to follow Harold's life once he realises that he is the character of someone else's novel, and it's amazing to witness the awakening of the character as he learns that he is going to die soon.
The great thing about this story is not even the story itself, or the (un)expected ending, but what the film shows: everyone is the creator of their own destiny, if doesn't matter if someone else is writing the plot for you, if you want to, you can change that. And I don't know about you, but that really spoke to me.
As for the characters, well there isn't a lot of originality. As you probably guessed, Harold is the typical (pretty much) likeable guy that discovers how meaningless his life is and that eventually transforms into a new, interesting person, Is it clichéd? Yes, but the film goes on so smoothly it doesn't matter that much.
The biggest surprise, however, was Will Ferrell. I am not a fan of him, at all. Sure, he can be a funny guy but he usually doesn't deliver performances that are worth to be remembered - at least, he didn't in the films I've watched so far. But here he took a role with more substance and he owned it. The supporting cast also does a good job, especially Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah.
The great thing about this story is not even the story itself, or the (un)expected ending, but what the film shows: everyone is the creator of their own destiny, if doesn't matter if someone else is writing the plot for you, if you want to, you can change that. And I don't know about you, but that really spoke to me.As for the characters, well there isn't a lot of originality. As you probably guessed, Harold is the typical (pretty much) likeable guy that discovers how meaningless his life is and that eventually transforms into a new, interesting person, Is it clichéd? Yes, but the film goes on so smoothly it doesn't matter that much.
The biggest surprise, however, was Will Ferrell. I am not a fan of him, at all. Sure, he can be a funny guy but he usually doesn't deliver performances that are worth to be remembered - at least, he didn't in the films I've watched so far. But here he took a role with more substance and he owned it. The supporting cast also does a good job, especially Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah.
Really good Will very laid back for really frantic Will try Elf, but another standout is Emma Thompson discovering that Harold lives good film
ReplyDeleteI love this movie, it's so unique and I agree, great performances.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent film and certainly stands out against the rest of Ferrell's filmography. He and the rest of the cast turn in excellent work. I would say that this does owe something to The Truman Show, but you're right, it is different and original.
ReplyDeleteI might be in the minority who likes Will Ferrell movies. This one actually sounds intelligent which is different from his usual flicks
ReplyDelete