By Ryan Parsons | Image property of Columbia Pictures.
Stranger Than Fiction
Besides Borat, we have also been alerted to some of the first reviews for the upcoming Will Ferrell comedy Stranger Than Fiction. Though the film may be offbeat, it looks like Ferrell and company may have landed a hit with this one.
Stranger Than Fiction Reviews
Stranger Than Fiction is an interesting concept. The film features an author (Emma Thompson) who is experiencing writers block. Once she passes this dilemma she plans to finish her book by killing off Harold Crick (Will Ferrell). The only problem is that Harold Crick really exists and will do anything he can to get the author out of his head and save himself from a destined fate. Though the film does give Ferrell room to have some fun, the comedy is in the realm of Eternal Sunshine.
Can Ferrell pull a Carrey and make this film work? According to the first reviews, he may have done just that.
Variety
The oft-examined intersections of reality and fantasy get a thorough workout in "Stranger Than Fiction." Bound to be compared to the work of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who has set the standard for this sort of intricate cinematic mischief over the past several years, this first comedy from the unpredictable, hot-and-cold director Marc Forster sometimes becomes too self-consciously clever, and it doesn't entirely resolve its own central dilemma. But it remains inventive and funny to the end, features fine performances from Will Ferrell and especially Emma Thompson, and offers enough to enjoy and dispute to make it a good B.O. attraction with long-distance potential for smart-skewing audiences.
THR
In practice, "Fiction" isn't nearly that unusual. Less like "Adaptation" than a smarter version of "Click," the picture pleases while remaining unchallenging to a broad audience. Boxoffice prospects are particularly good given star Will Ferrell's recent success, though his performance here is hardly a Ricky Bobby-like yukfest.
If the movie doesn't make the most of its self-aware conceit, it fills in the gaps with small, lovely touches that would work in any normal romance: Shy banter on an extended bus, with Ferrell sitting in the hinge section while Gyllenhaal, a row away, is moved to and fro when the bus turns corners; the tightly wound accountant being introduced to the joy of milk and cookies; the warm glow of multicolored light fixtures that break the ice on the couple's first date. "Fiction" may disappoint viewers at the extremes -- those hoping for wild experimentation or for another wacky Ferrell comedy -- but it's awfully satisfying on its own terms.
Check out both reviews for Stranger Than Fiction by clicking on the bold links above.
Stranger Than Fiction opens to theatres on November 10th.
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