Review of Stranger Than Fiction (2000) by Lauren B — 12 Aug 2011
Actors, especially comedians, frequently and pigeon-holed or type-casted into a certain kind of role or character. It tends to be a rare treat to see an actor flex their thespian muscles into a different role - think Adam Sandler in "Punch-Drunk-Love" or Robin Williams in "One Hour Photo" and "Insomnia." The results can be amazing.
Will Ferrell plays drab IRS agent Harold Crick who discovers one day that a woman (Emma Thompson) is narrating his life. Thompson plays author Kay Eiffel who suffers from writer's block. She's been assigned Penny (Queen Latifah), an assistant from Kay's publisher to help her finish the book she's writing. What unfolds is part whimsey, part drama, part satire but completely enjoyable as the viewer follows Crick's agony - that his life is being dictated by a writer in the same city.
The supporting cast is also quite good - Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Tom Hulce (in a cameo as Crick's IRS-appointed psychiatrist). Ferrell definitely shows that he can be more than "Frank the Tank" or some crazy charicature on SNL. Of course, funny sells too.
This review of Stranger Than Fiction (2000) was written by Lauren B on 12 Aug 2011.
Stranger Than Fiction has generally received positive reviews.
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