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"This is the story of Harold Crick..."
Stranger Than Fiction is a film that completely blew me away. Still minutes after concluding my screening I have tears wetting my eyes, goose-bumps covering my body and I am still trying to figure out what I have just experienced.
Before watching this movie I had only glanced at the film's theatrical poster and thus I had no clue as to the plot of the movie. I had no expectations at all and began watching the movie with absolutely no ideas what to expect. In all honesty I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was going to be another dumb Will Ferrell comedy during which he overacts to get some laughs.
But Stranger Than Fiction is none of that. Instead of a no-brainer comedy we are presented with a masterpiece; a heart-warming, touching comedy/drama that is pretty much unbeatable. If you're expecting another Anchorman or Talladega Nights then I suggest you go rent something else. But if you can look past Ferrell's type-cast performance and instead clear your head of all expectations then you will see what a genuinely outstanding film this truly is.
Stranger Than Fiction is filled with originality, fascinating characters and unpredictable twists. Not to mention the film is groundbreaking, innovative, thought-provoking and captivating. I doubt we will see any films of this stature for a very long time to come.
While watching the movie I enjoyed it a whole lot more without any conception of the plot of the movie. And because of this, I must recommend experiencing the movie without any pre-gained knowledge of the plot. I will just tell you that the film is the story of an IRS agent named Harold Crick (Ferrell) whose organised lifestyle is suddenly interrupted.
Stranger Than Fiction is an extraordinary tale that is engaging and enthralling from start to finish.
The first thing that I noticed was the way in which it was created; there's bright scenery, appealing actors, realistic setting and some catchy music to accompany this. The establishing few shots were enough to keep my attention throughout the whole movie.
Will Ferrell is a man I respect because of his overzealous comedy roles. Ferrell is outstanding in a drama such as this. The man is focused 100% and never breaks his concentration. He's deadpan, dedicated, and charming. Ferrell also had me in tears towards the end because of the poignancy of his performance and the way we could actually sympathise with him. Dustin Hoffman is another person one would hardly expect to find in a film such as this. But he is absolutely superb and lets his character live. Emma Thompson has never been like this before, and she will probably never be this good ever again. She seems concentrated on getting her character perfected. The supporting players are a very weird bunch of big names including Maggie Gyllenhaal and Queen Latifah.
Marc Foster was successfully able to set the atmosphere of this movie within the first five seconds. From that point on I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen. And of course Foster's direction was supported by the great music. I loved the music used in this film as it is catchy and it triggers your imagination.
Stranger Than Fiction is a lot better than I originally thought it would end up to be. The film is a masterpiece - pure and simple. I loved it and found it to be one of my favourite movies of 2006. Not to be missed.
9/10
