Stranger Than Fiction

Pros: Ferrell, Gyllenhaal, Hoffman, Thompson, script, direction
Cons: Queen Latifah underutilized; reminiscent of some Woody Allen work

Harold Crick lived an ordinary and uneventful life as an auditor for the IRS. Then he started hearing a voice inside his head. In spite of proclamations from psychiatrists that he might be insane, Harold (Will Ferrell) knew the voice was real, for it ...

Pros: Ferrell and the cast involved; quite a thought-provoking movie
Cons: Those looking for an over-the-top Ferrell will be disappointed

I was hoodwinked. Having Will Ferrell in any film spells bust-a-gut laughter without a second thought. It is guaranteed that he is going to make an ass out of himself in some way. That’s why Stranger The Fiction threw that proverbial ...

Pros: Great acting, writing, funny with a strong human element
Cons: None

From the moment I saw the first trailer for this film, I thought I would enjoy it. After I watched it this afternoon, I was wrong about one thing: I actually enjoyed it more than I anticipated. I've had mixed feelings about Will Ferrell in the past. ...

Pros: Great performances
Cons: The trailers gave away too much story

Stranger Than Fiction is an interesting fantasy tale starring Emma Thompson as an author writing about a man played by Will Ferrell, and he happens to be a real person. Ferrell’s character can hear the author’s narration in his head, and ...

Pros: Will Ferrell has a great dramatic role here. Maggie Gyllenhaal is also great.
Cons: feel good Hollywood ending?

Mark watched a movie with his son this weekend that he really enjoyed. The name of the film was "Stranger than Fiction". He decided to write about it on Epinions. Just when I thought every movie was the same old thing, along comes ...

Pros: smart, philosophical, endearing
Cons: too smart for its own good, sags in the middle

It's no secret that writers play God but does anyone think about the implications? If human beings can create ant farms of their own, creating characters out of nothing, who rise and fall according to the pleasure of the author, what does that say about ...

Pros: Funny and moving story backed up by great performances
Cons: Could have been a little funnier

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) lives a boring life. He has no friends or social life. He works as an auditor for the IRS. He's so boring that he counts the number of times he brushes his teeth in the morning and the number of steps he takes. All that ...

Pros: Ferrell, Gyllenhaal, Hoffman, Emma Thompson
Cons: none particularly

There is a certain kind of film that, if done well, I fall for each and every time, that plays to some inner note within my heart that never fails to respond accordingly. I'm not sure precisely what it is that resonates so soundly in these films - and ...

Pros: Forster's Direction, Helm's Script, Look, Location, Soundtrack, & Cast.
Cons: None.

Ever since debuting Everything Put Together in 2000, Swiss-born director Marc Forster has become one of the most prolific and profiled directors after gaining a breakthrough with 2001's Monster's Ball. 2004's Finding Neverland was ...

Pros: Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson shine; the cinematography is sharp; Spoon's soundtrack is engaging.
Cons: I would have liked to see larger roles for Tom Hulce and Queen Latifah.

Stranger Than Fiction (2006) was directed by the affable Marc Forster of Monster's Ball fame. This hybrid comedy/drama about a ...

Pros: Cast (except an over-doing it Emma Thompson), visual design, quirky love story
Cons: Been there, done that script; plot holes; overly cute; amounts to little

It’s impressive that the screenplay for the dramatic comedy (dramedy), Stranger Than Fiction (2006), was penned by Zach Helm at the age of 30. It would be a lot more impressive, however, if the story were more original. Concerning an IRS agent ...

Pros: -Will Ferrell
-Humor
Cons: -Some slow pacing...

Cast/Characters:Will Ferrell – Harold CrickEmma Thompson – Karen EiffelMaggie Gyllenhaal – Ana PascalQueen Latifah – Penny EscherDustin Hoffman – Professor Jules HilbertThe ...

Pros: Great story and performances, music
Cons: Briefly slow pacing

Harold Crick has a pretty dull life. He is obsessed by numbers. How many times has he brushed each tooth? How long does it take him to get to the bus stop? Harold is an IRS agent, so this obsession with numbers helps him with his job. His life ...

Pros: Splendid cast and story; good writing and directing; fine insights into story telling
Cons: Climax is a sell out!

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) has a problem. An introverted IRS agent, he has suddenly become the subject of a unique existential dilemma once he begins hearing a female voice narrating his life. Whether it's brushing his teeth or catching the bus to work, ...

Pros: I loved in particular Forster's direciton and the performance of Maggie G.
Cons: none

Cast (in credits order) Will Ferrell .... Harold Crick Maggie Gyllenhaal .... Ana Pascal Emma Thompson .... Kay Eiffel Dustin Hoffman .... Professor Jules Hilbert What if you suddenly had the notion your life wasn't your own, that you ...

Pros: Story. Performances.
Cons: Lacks greatness. I think I've typed this con before?

Sometimes, the only thing wrong with a movie is its lack of greatness. Stranger than Fiction is a very well-crafted film, and doesn't contain any lines or scenes which seem particularly off-key. But the film doesn't warrant a second ...

Pros: Cute script, great cast
Cons: Some people may lose interest quickly

"This is a story about a man called Harold Crick and his wristwatch." Harold (Will Ferrell) is an ordinary man who works as an IRS agent. He lives alone in an apartment and hasn't taken a vacation in years. Harold focuses virtually everything he does on ...

Pros: Decent Movie Until You Get To The End, Interesting Concept
Cons: Some characters motives are sketchy and some don’t seem to have a purpose

It wasn’t until today that I was afforded the chance to watch Stranger Than Fiction. Even though I’m not a die-hard Will Ferrell fan I know his main plight is comedy, but there really aren’t many laughs here with his character, Harold ...

Pros: Unique GUI graphics, funny moments
Cons: Poor romantic elements, weak characters/portrayals

Stranger Than Fiction was recommended to me as a really good movie. Being a comedy about a writer I thought I might enjoy it. I guess I’m just too set in my ways, though, because all I saw was a romantic comedy. Don’t get me wrong, I ...

Pros: Clever idea
Cons: Concept fizzles out halfway through

Stranger than Fiction should be a lot better than it is. It has an idea which is amazingly original. But somewhere along the line it loses its focus, veers off in more directions than a Robert Altman movie, and eventually just says “screw it.” Just when ...

Pros: Emma, Maggie, Dustin, and yes, Will
Cons: Slightly predictable

The world of literature is often portrayed as sophisticated, elegant and even romantic in films. In "Stranger than Fiction" this is a potentially dangerous place full of difficult choices and serious consequences for both author and subject. Director ...

Pros: Decent acting, Great story, More clever than funny, Decent directing.
Cons: Plot is a bit weak, Resolution, DVD Extras are nothing stellar

In the last few years, Hollywood has opened up quite a bit to stories that employ alternative narrative techniques and/or bend the sense of reality of the viewer. The last few years have yielded films about writers and their characters, though after ...

Pros: Who knew Emma Thompson can be a sight for sore eyes?
Cons: Clearly an experimental film presented by a director and writer who's testing the waters.

On October 11, 2001, five complete strangers, varying in age and nationality, gather around at a local watering hole in Orange County and starts exclaiming loudly, looking at each others' driver's licenses. Their names on the driver's license is: Danny, ...

Pros: Great minimalist story. Superb performance by Will Ferrell. Well paced, directed and edited. Engaging plot.
Cons: Second ending is sugar-coated and, as Prof. Hilbert notes, OK, not great.

Walk out at the fade to white, to savor the powerful minimalist ending. Then watch this film again through to its "second" ending, to experience the happily-ever-after, sugar-coated. Having written some poems and stories, experienced some small ...

Pros: Will Ferrell actually acts, great performances all around.
Cons: I'm still afraid I'll watch one time and find big, gaping holes.

Let's start off with a brief synopsis of the film, shall we? I'm seriously not a fan of knowing too much about a film before I see it, I like to give the director a chance to fill me in himself, so I won't be telling much more than you could find in the ...

Pros: Ferrell being serious. Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah and Thompson's accent.
Cons: Latifah should be in more of the scene! Ferrell being serious.

The movie "Stranger than Fiction" (2006) with Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and Emma Thompson makes the audience think about the weighty issues pertaining life and death without the comfort of Bavarian sugar cookies and ...

Pros: Good performances by several of my favorite actors. Interesting story line.
Cons: Implausible elements in the plot. Weak conflict and central characters.

I've been looking forward to seeing Stranger Than Fiction since it first came out. I'm a fiction writer, and there have been times when my characters seem to acquire a life of their own... in my mind. I've written a book set in Tobermory, Scotland, and ...

Pros: Solid acting, original storyline, very palatable Will Farrell
Cons: Requires subtlety to enjoy

This is a very peculiar film, not quite 100% drama, not quite 100% comedy. At times I wait for some event to burst out but it doesn't quite happen. I've not seen nor heard of a film with a storyline like this one, so at the very least there was a ...

Pros: Watch it. The writer clearly is a lover of words.
Cons: None.

...stranger than fiction is delightful. It digs up the age-old theme of the ordinary man doing extraordinary things. For me, the movie brought up three questions: 1) If we knew our fate, would we change it? 2) If we knew death was imminent, how would ...

Pros: Well developed, evenly paces, wonderful character development. Playful thoughtful style.
Cons: Possibly too abstract for some people.

I didn't want to see this film. I mean I really really did not. I have never liked Ferrell's work, and the first trailer of this film showed very little other than scenes with him. My mother however, wanted to see this film on Thanksgiving and she ...

Pros: It ended!
Cons: Pointless story and acting

So they couldn't come up with a story and that's why they threw something together in "Stranger Than Fiction" under the guise of an original story. IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrill) is hearing voices and it turns out to be the voice of an ...

Pros: Good movie, moved along well, feel-good
Cons: The DVD had no worthwhile extras.

This weekend I bought the movie Stranger Than Fiction on DVD (widescreen version). I really wanted to see the movie when it came out int he theater because I heard such good things about it but I never got around to it. So I saw the movie on sale and ...

Pros: Great plot; different role for Will Ferrell that works for him
Cons: Music a little too similar to Napoleon Dynamite's.

Will Ferrell has always been known for his comedic roles stemming from Saturday Night Live. This film assured moviegoers that Ferrell can play in multiple genres without us thinking of Alex Trebek. Ferrell's character, Harold Krick, is a tax auditor ...

Pros: great acting, good story, good chick flick
Cons: some obscenities

This movie was such a great surprise! I honestly thought it was going to be a true Will Ferrell, laugh the entire movie type film. It wasn’t but it was still a great film to watch. The cast did an outstanding job. Who doesn't love Will Ferrell, but to ...

Pros: Ingenious story. Everyone needs to see.
Cons: If your a fan of Will ferrels goofy comedy dont see.

I love comedy, however, Will Ferrel is not my type of comedy... until I saw this movie. A very unique story of a writer who writes tragedy stories about heroes. Though she doesn't know she's actually writting a story about a real person.  Purely shows a different side of Will Ferrel's acting with a unique sort of dark comedy added to the picture. I bought this movie due to a recommendation from family. "Stranger than Fiction" is a drama, dark comedy to be enjoyed by anyone. With a watch as a main conflict. It will make you laugh and cry, this twist is ingenious and I high recommend everyone to see it.

Pros: Stellar cast/ well written screenplay
Cons: Although written into an enjoyable story, the main concept is exceptionally trite.

This was a refreshing surprise. Will Farrell takes a break from his physical comedy roots and shocks the audience with a fine performance. However, the script is the real winner in this show. Taking the simple concept of fictitious character as a real person and turning it into a decent movie had to be hard work. Queen Latifa is under used in this movie. I would have liked to have seen more of her character.

Pros: Funny Parts
Cons: Not Funny Enough, My fiance fell asleep watching it

When I first saw the previews, I assumed I'd be dying laughing through the whole movie, so I was a little let down. Was it funny? Absolutely, but it wasn't a constant comedy. It had it's funny parts. The story line was very good, and it was casted perfectly.