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A Reel Life film section

Issue: Summer 2006


Stranger than Fiction (2006) movie review

Little did he know ...

Harold's (Will Ferrell) orderly life as an I.R.S. auditor is thrown into disarray when he starts to hear his life being narrated by a disembodied female voice. He must find a way to take control of his life before the narration comes to an end.

Stranger Than Fiction is strange in itself. A gently ironic film, it portrays a small group of characters living their lives without adventure. Harold seeks help from, among others, a literature professor (Dustin Hoffman). He finds a love interest in the baker he is auditing, and he extends his friendship with a work colleague.

Movie poster, Stranger than Fiction; Festivale film review

Movie poster, Stranger than Fiction
Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period.

Without being a headlong race to a catastrophic conclusion, this film has a definite goal - to save Harold's life and it chases that goal at a reasonable pace. Ferrell's performance is gently quirky without the extremes of slapstick that he is capable of. Emma Thompson as the writer makes a credible performance as the blocked writer looking for a way to kill her character.

Stranger Than Fiction is the well-presented play on an idea and is worth a look although it's not likely to become an icon in cinematic history. What it is, however, is a impetus for each of us to look at the life we are living as if it might be taken away from us.

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by Ali Kayn
Due for Australian release 1 Feb 2007
For credits and official site details, see below
Search Festivale for more work by the film-makers below.

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Just the facts:

Title: Stranger than Fiction (2006)
Written by: Zach Helm
Directed by: Marc Forster
running time: 113 mins
rating: M

The Players: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Linda Hunt, Dustin Hoffman,

Official website:
IMDb entry

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