Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Film: Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

So... it's been a while huh? I haven't reviewed a film here at A More Enjoyable Reality for months. And quite frankly I've been absent for far too long. I've certainly watched plenty of films since my last post but you know how it is; life, work and pure laziness get in the way of getting to the keyboard to write something meaningful. However thanks to a free 2 month trial for LOVEFiLM, I've had a resurgence in enthusiasm for this blog and thought to myself, since I'll be watching a lot more movies over the next 2 months why not review some? 

Since activating my LOVEFiLM account last week I've been busy browsing their immense catalogue of films and adding more than a few to my rental list. And the first disc to pop through my letterbox was Marc Forster's Stranger Than Fiction, a film I'd seen a trailer of ages ago but completely forgotten about until a colleague at work mentioned it recently. It came highly recommended so it was quickly added to my LOVEFiLM list and just as quickly dispatched to my house. Stranger Than Fiction stars Will Ferrell as Harold Crick, a man who doesn't live his life to the fullest. That is until one morning, whilst brushing his teeth (obsessively so), he hears a voice narrating his every action and movement. It turns out the voice belongs to acclaimed author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), who is typing up her latest novel. Little does she know that every word she types, poor Harold Crick has to experience. Fortunately for Harold, Karen's plot for her new book changes his life like he'd never thought was possible - he finally begins to live his life. That is until Harold hears Karen reveal that the protagonist of her novel, Mr Crick himself, is set to die...

The plot is pretty simple but executed to perfection. Throughout the whole film I was glued to the edge of my seat in anticipation, endlessly speculating how the film would end. Surely poor Harold wouldn't bite the dust? I won't spoil anything, in fact I've probably revealed too much, but if you have the opportunity watch this wonderful film.

Will Ferrell puts in a superb performance. Straying away from his usual roles in comedies like Anchorman and Old School, this is a serious Ferrell and a side to the actor I enjoy much more. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his stuff that has made the man the household name he is today, but it was refreshing to see him play a different character for once, and so perfectly suited for him. As Harold Crick, Ferrell shows a side to him you rarely get to see in his comedies and it would benefit his career as a serious actor a lot more if he was featured in more movies like Stranger Than Fiction. The supporting cast must of course take some credit, particularly the excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal. Playing the feisty and rebellious baker Ana Pascal, Gyllenhaal's performance raises the film to a new level, her scenes with Ferrell making you laugh out loud one moment then feel immensely for the characters the next. Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah all contribute well to the overall tone of the film and each performer bring a uniqueness to their characters that benefits the film enormously. 

All in all, Stranger Than Fiction was a worthy choice for my first disc from LOVEFiLM, and if the rest of my rentals are of the same quality as this, then I'm in for a very good couple of months.

A More Enjoyable Reality Rating: 8/10

Thanks for reading.