Stranger Than Fiction (Blu-ray, 2007)

Jim Miller, Brittany Daniel, Lindsay Doran

5050629127218

59557437

Kristin Chenoweth, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Will Ferrell, Tony Hale

Stranger than Fiction

Marc Forster

English

109 Mins

2007

Blu-ray

Deleted Scenes\Multiple Behind the Scenes Featurettes

General, Comedy

1

12A/12

United States of America

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy 2007 -

Known to most audiences for his hilarious characters, funnyman Will Ferrell continues to try his hand at more serious material with STRANGER THAN FICTION. The film comes as relatively light fare for director Marc Foster, whose previous works were FINDING NEVERLAND and MONSTER'S BALL. While not exactly a drama, the film shifts between humorous and heavy realms, one of its central questions being: 'What makes a comedy or a tragedy?' In WINTER PASSING and MELINDA AND MELINDA, Ferrell awkwardly occupied a strange space that was neither clearly dramatic nor comedic, leaving audiences confused over whether to laugh at the actor or with him. Here, in the role of boring Harold Crick he appears a bit more at ease, as Harold is not expected to be funny--funny things just happen to him. Instead of depending on Ferrell for jokes, the film delivers laughs on its own by exploring what happens when an IRS agent with a dull, solitary life receives unwanted company in the form of an intrusive female voice narrating his every move. As distracting as this is, things become truly worrisome when the narrator (Emma Thompson as an eccentric author) informs Harold of his looming death. How HaroldÆs life changes as a result of this terrifying knowledge depends largely on wacky Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) and on tax-evading baker/love interest Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). While Queen LatifahÆs role as an authorÆs assistant is underdeveloped, Tony Hale brings an innocent charm as HaroldÆs coworker and only friend. At times, the filmÆs take on existentialist themes feels strikingly familiar, and is clearly influenced by features like ADAPTATION and I HEART HUCKABEES. Among its strengths, the film features interesting sets seemingly influenced by the 1950s version of the future, and functions as a small step forward for Ferrell.

Daily Mirror - One of the comedies of the year - a brilliantly clever tale

Zach Helm

PCM 5.1

Stranger Than Fiction

Roberto Schaffer

Contains one use of strong language