Cinema Reelz DVD Review - "Stranger Than Fiction"

 "Stranger Than Fiction" (2006)

Staring: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman

Synopsis: (Courtesy IMDB) An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of a narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.

I have always been a mixed fan of Will Ferrell.  I sometimes find myself almost in tears laughing at his current film and enjoying myself.  Other times I sit barely smile, just waiting for the credits. Fortunately, this was one of his more enjoyable films.

For me. enjoyable doesn't really describe my feelings for this film.  I love this movie.

It all starts with a change of pace from the normal Will Ferrell style films.  This is really more of a mixed genre movie as it is a mixture of comedy and drama.  However I tend to place it more in the drama genre.

The story revolves around the character of Harold Crick, an unassuming IRS auditor, going through the same monotony of everyday life until one day he begins hearing a voice that begins narrating parts of his life with great accuracy.  At first the voice shocks him, but he eventually begins to just live with it until one day it predicts his death.

This prediction sets off a chain of events as Harold attempts to figure out how to stop his impending doom.  But what if he is just crazy??

The acting in this is superb.  Will Ferrell raises his game above that of his normal ridiculous characters. He delivers a believable and sometimes sadly tragic character that you can not help but root for.  Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a great performance as Harold's love interest. Dustin Hoffman delivers the kind of excellent performance we've come to expect from him.

The power of this film is really the story.  This is a tragic comedy that delivers an interesting idea in a new and fresh way, it has the ability to make you laugh and cry at the same time, something it does with ease.  Do yourself a favor and check this one out.


I give "Stranger Than Fiction" 4 out of 5 green apples:

A DVD Review by: Cinema Reelz
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