Review of Stranger Than Fiction (2000) by Graydon V — 13 Apr 2014

Stranger than Fiction:Film Critique.

Stranger than Fiction, a 2006 film set in New York City, starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and directed by Marc Forster is characterized as a comedy, fantasy, drama, and a romance. The film clearly characterizes these 4 genres, which makes it such a successful film. Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is your average boring IRS agent,however, that all changes on a not so typical Wednesday. Harold begins to hear a voice narrating his very calculated life, and surprisingly, the narrator is extraordinarily accurate. Like any other person who hears a voice in their head narrating their life, Harold thinks he is downright crazy. He seeks professional help, and at the same time, he audits Ana Pascal, who he falls in love with. After the narrator reveals that Harold is going to die, he is in a race against time to find Kay Effiel (Emma Thompson), the author of his life, so that he can convince her to change the ending of the story before it is too late.

One of the things that makes Stranger than Fiction such a great movie is the way it extracts unexpected work from underrated actors. Will Ferrell is commonly known for his performance in the film Elf, therefore known more for comedy and stupidity with his acting. Stranger than Fiction portrays a whole different side of Will Ferrell and highlights a huge part of his acting career. Instead of the commonly seen "stupid" side of Will Ferrell, the world sees him in a new light, now as more of an intelligent actor. Upon hearing that Will Ferrell was in the film, I thought that it was going to be funny and somewhat stupid. However I, as well as many others, see that Will Ferrell can really act which made this film that more surprising and well done. Will Ferrell gives the best performance of his short career. The psychological trauma that his character goes through is extremely evident in his emotions that he shows through his body and through his face. He brings an amazing sense of what this character is really about, which then makes the audience unwillingly pull for him as the film goes on. Emma Thompson, another underrated actor, does very well in the film. She is broken and weak, searching for the perfect ending. The pain and sorrow that goes through her face as she writes portrays how good of an actor she really is. Unexpected actors make for a very unexpected, well done film.

Not only did the actors do an outstanding job, but also those who worked behind the scenes, especially pertaining special effects. Throughout Stranger than Fiction, special effects were used, especially during the start of the movie. Diagrams were overlaid and worked into the pictures to illustrate what was happening in the story. Since the main character, Harold, worked for the IRS and has a very efficient technical mind, the diagrams and technical sounds enhanced his character even more. One of the more successful visual effects included numbers flashing across the screen documenting the number of brush strokes Harold did as he brushed his teeth. The visual effects seem to really add importance and significance to the scene, as well as capture the audiences attention. When pictures were flashing across the scene as Harold was doing things, the audience had a better understanding of what was going on and related to the event quicker. No matter what it is, visuals always will help the human mind grasp and define things. This film does a very good job in using special effects and visuals to capture their audience and keep them interested.

This film was very well thought out, especially the special effects and the stars that were included in the film. All the details that we might not notice right away added to the overall quality of the film, therefore making it a very well done movie. Although this movie is very well done, it is a movie I would not recommend for children because of the complexity that it entails. People who have reached maturity would enjoy this movie,since they would be able to understand it. Kay Effiel, the author of Harold's life, was set on killing Harold at the end of the story. However, all of this changes when she realizes that Harold is a character who is still willing to die even though he knows his fate. She says, "Isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?" This dramatic line changed the whole outlook on the movie and brought to light that we don't know who people really are because they can change in a heartbeat, or a tick of a wristwatch.