Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

7.5/10 Points

I was pleasantly surprised that a man with so little hair could direct a half decent movie. Throughout the duration of this film I applauded Mark Forster for casting the likes of Will Ferrell, Dustin Hoffman, and Queen Latifah into a semi-serious dark comedy script. In his place I would have felt severely hesitant knowing these individuals are notorious for overacting and in the latter case, lacking any sort of ability or purpose; on and off the screen (Excluding eating contests).

Arrested Development’s Tony “Buster” Hale made an excellent and likable addition to this film as Harold Crick’s sole companion. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson’s believable character performances are also worth considerable mention; but not in this review.

Disregarding the extravagant introduction which nearly made me puke, the camera work was fantastic and artistically processed. Graphically added captions and animated object outlines were surprisingly pulled off with minimal tackiness and the selected soundtrack fit the movie comparably to Queen Latifah amongst a herd of buffalo.

I was disappointed by the fact that this movie wasn’t nearly as humerous as the trailers led me to believe. I did not enter the theatre with expectations for a comedy-drama with links to deeper meanings in regards to living your life to the fullest. You will be relieved to know that my sour mood was soothed by a pair of pretzels and the inferiority of those around me.

This film attempted to achieve a unique idea and had a good chance at separating itself from the usual Hollywood fecal matter. This would have been attained if the last few scenes remained on the cutting room floor. When will Americans learn that a happy ending isn’t necessarily the best ending?