Review of Stranger Than Fiction (2007) by Mitchell B — 06 Aug 2012

What's more meta than a film about a man who finds his life is being narrated as he lives it? How about watching a film about a man who finds his life is being narrated as he lives it and realizing that you've already seen it but have no recollection of anything that happens until you see it again. Total dà (C)jà view!

So on unwitting second viewing, Stranger Than Fiction is still a charming film that features Will Farrell in an uncharacteristic (read: less shouting) and understated performance as taxman Harold Crick, who, in true romcom convention, turns his unremarkable life around thanks to a remarkable deus ex machina of sorts. This is rarely tread ground for Farrell, which is surprising considering how well he plays the closeted sad sack, light hidden under many bushels, dreams and aspirations unrecognized and unfulfilled. Partly because we are so familiar with the manic bluster of Farrell's many (unvaried) personas, we can identify with Harold Crick and hid life of unceasing routine, which makes the introduction of the fantastical narration of his life so amusing, albeit in a black and bleak vein.

Emma Thompson chews up every inch of screen time and the woefully underused Dustin Hoffman proves that dialogue is a wonderful plaything when given the right tongue to deliver it. Fact: Queen Latifah is also in this.