4 of 5 stars
Some movies disappoint you by failing to deliver as expected. A recent example was The Prestige, which hid a compelling storyline and talented cast behind needlessly confusing editing that misled the viewer rather than misdirected him. Other movies surprise you by delivering more than you expected and Stranger than Fiction is one of them. Instead of a light fluffy comedy, we get a very funny, yet very thoughtful movie on the nature of life, comedy, tragedy, and what gives them all meaning. Will Ferrell heads up a fine cast as Harold Crick, a man who has no life until author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) writes him one. Unfortunately for Harold, Kay writes tragedies, so she gives him this life only to write his untimely death.
Where the movie would have worked as just a light comedy, (Think All of Me with Steve Martin and Lilly Tomlin) but writer Zach Helm and director Marc Forster ambitiously chose to go for more, and they were successful.
Instead of milking the material for laughs at Crick's expense, they allowed the humor to evolve from the characters and the situations. This natural approach opens the door for honest emotional responses between the characters on screen, and between them and the audience. And that makes sense when you think about the title of the movie. What is stranger than fiction?
Truth.
Unlike Sideways, which had unlikeable characters in a very dark and painful movie, (I still don't know why they classed it as a comedy) Stranger than Fiction explores similar territory in a much more enjoyable and engaging way.
Posted by Rich at November 11, 2006 5:00 PM | TrackBack