Topic: Stranger Than Fiction

[scottws]

Main Actors:  Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Brief synopses:  Will Ferrell, a lonely and obsessive-compulsive IRS agent suddenly starts hearing his life narrated by Emma Thompson

Saw this movie last night.  I went into it thinking it would be some ridiculous Will Ferrell comedy like Anchorman, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, or Blades of Glory.  At first, it seemed like this might be the case but it quickly became apparent that the movie was far more cerebral than the standard Will Ferrell fare.

It was a quirky movie: part comedy, part drama, part romance.  It would make a good date movie, but that isn't its main purpose.  It was nothing amazing, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

It was a good story, and very well told.  Ferrell struggles a little with the serious acting, but not horribly so and his acting is passable.  Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson were dead-on for their characters.  Very well done performances by both actresses.  Dustin Hoffman did a good job too and added a good bit of dry humor.

[angrykeebler]

I'm with your pretty much 100%. Didn't think it would be that great but I was pleasantly surprised. Don't think I'll ever watch it again but I enjoyed it.

[iPPi]

Yea I enjoyed this movie a lot.  Was very surprised that it turned out to be quite good.

[Quemaqua]

I really wanted to see this one hoping that it would be what you guys describe... glad to hear it turned out.  Julia and I will definitely Netflix it as she wanted to see it too.

[ren]

so if I absolutely hate Will Ferrel, should I see this movie? I can't stand him at all.

[angrykeebler]

so if I absolutely hate Will Ferrel, should I see this movie? I can't stand him at all.

If you hate normal Will Ferrel MOVIES but don't mind the actor than you should give this a try.

If you hate Will Ferrel the actor then skip it.

[Cobra951]

so if I absolutely hate Will Ferrel, should I see this movie? I can't stand him at all.

That's me too.  I prefer Adam Sandler by far, and I don't like him either.

[NatchDan]

I'm the opposite. I hate Will Ferrell, I hate him in Jay and Silent Bob, I hate Elf - but I love Anchorman and Talledega Nights. Is this a movie for me?

[gpw11]

I sw maybe the second half, I'll probably go out and see the whole thing at some point.

[scottws]

I'm the opposite. I hate Will Ferrell, I hate him in Jay and Silent Bob, I hate Elf - but I love Anchorman and Talledega Nights. Is this a movie for me?

Well this movie and his acting in it is nothing like any of those movies so... I don't know?

[MysterD]

Better than expected. It was good, but nothing great.

[ren]

That's me too.  I prefer Adam Sandler by far, and I don't like him either.

Adam Sandler doesn't do much for me in his comedies, but he doesn't bug me either. In his more serious movies I actually like him. I'm a fan of him in Reign Over Me. His acting wasn't that good but he brings a likable quality to his character.

[MysterD]

Adam Sandler doesn't do much for me in his comedies, but he doesn't bug me either. In his more serious movies I actually like him. I'm a fan of him in Reign Over Me. His acting wasn't that good but he brings a likable quality to his character.

I liked Adam in Punch Drunk Love, even though I found the movie disappointing.
I still liked the flick -- it was good, but I was expecting more from it.

[Quemaqua]

Finally got around to seeing this today.  Gotta' say I completely loved it.  There were so many opportunities to completely botch it, and they missed all of them.  I thought this was a fantastic movie, and Will Ferrel did a great job in the role, as did everyone else involved.  I'd say this one is underrated.

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The ending could seriously have been horrible, and I was cringing into it a good ways thinking there'd be no justification or *good* reason for the turn they took (though there wouldn't have been much good in leaving it as it was, either), but then they just handled it beautifully, and I thought it really came together not only to be a happier ending than it might have, but it was a justifiable one based on multiple angles of multiple characters.  It's very hard to pull that off without destroying a film or just making everything seem cheesy and stupid, but instead they managed to make a point with it.  I liked that.

[Ghandi]

Must have missed this thread. I saw this when it came out on DVD and loved it. This thread is almost a microcosm of what I heard from everyone that saw it, but I guess that is to be expected with a comedic actor that takes on a serious role.

Also, just to throw in my 2 cents on Ferrell, anyone who doesn't like Anchorman is insane. Elf is great also, but for a much different audience, and nowhere near the level of Anchorman. And most of his recent movies have sucked terribly. Talledega Nights was the worst piece of market-saturated filth that I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through. I'm sure that fucking ice skating movie was just as bad, but luckily I was way too intoxicated to even know what the hell was going on. And I didn't even waste my money on the even more over-hyped over-marketed basketball movie which I'm sure grossed billions. I'm sure Ferrel has plenty of money, but unfortunately that has come at the expense of wasted potential.

[Cobra951]

I ended up liking this myself, though my dislike for Ferrell kept me from watching it until it came to the Dish-network movie channels.  It was very well done, and so original.

[ren]

I watched it a few weeks ago and loved it too. Will Ferrel hate didn't sink in once because it was so clear early on this was different.

I thought the ending was a bit weak but it was pretty much impossible for it to be anything but that considering the hype leading up to it. Overall a great movie.