About this movie
- Genres:
- Drama
- Language:
- English
- Running time:
- 1:53:09
- Partner rating:
- Released:
- 2006
Cast & Crew
Cast
-
Will Ferrell
Harold Crick
-
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Ana Pascal
-
Dustin Hoffman
Professor Jules Hilbert
-
Queen Latifah
Penny Escher
-
Emma Thompson
Karen 'Kay' Eiffel
-
Tony Hale
Dave
-
Tom Hulce
Doctor Cayly
-
Linda Hunt
Doctor Mittag-Leffler
-
William Dick
IRS Co-Worker 1
-
Guy Massey
IRS Co-Worker 2
Directors
- Marc Forster
Producers
- Lindsay Doran
Writers
- Zach Helm
Stranger than Fiction
A socially isolated IRS agent whose every move is documented by a disembodied female voice discovers that his life is the subject of a book currently being written by a best-selling author, whose creative block has stunted her repeated efforts to kill him off, in a quirky fantasy comedy written by Hollywood hot property Zach Helm and directed by Finding Neverland's Marc Forester. Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) lives a life of solitude. Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) can't seem to find a way to finish her latest book. Though Harold and Kay have never actually met, their fates are about to become intertwined in a most unusual manner. With her publishers growing increasingly impatient with her apparent inability to put the finishing touches on her latest novel, Kay is assigned a new assistant whose task it is to help provide the creative push needed to get her book finished and into the hands of her many eager fans. The subject of Kay's novel is a lonely and despairing IRS agent named Harold Crick, who believes that his life has lost any real meaning. As Kay continues to weave Harold's woeful tale without realizing that her protagonist is actually a living human being unable to concentrate on his life and career due to the constant interference of the narrator who inexplicably seems to anticipate his every move and read his every thought, her continued efforts to kill her perplexed subject finally provide him with the incentive needed to fully experience life by seeking out the source of the voice that plagues him. Penned by the screenwriter named by Variety magazine as one of the "Top Ten Writers to Watch" and who was also included in Esquire magazine's "Best and Brightest" list of 2004, Stranger Than Fiction features supporting performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Queen Latifah.
Reviews by Rotten Tomatoes
72%
percent positive reviews
-
Luke Goodsell, Empire Magazine AustralasiaIntriguing possibilities, except Helm and Forster aren't quite Kaufman and Jonze. Once their parallel narratives converge, those hoping for a mind-bending meta-pile-up may feel the movie lacks the...
– Full review
-
Bob Mondello, NPR.org
The actors and the filmmakers all take a more restrained approach than you might expect, keeping the humor gentle, and the jokes mostly as literary as the premise.
– Full review
-
Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald
Ferrell rules in this film. I take back my words of prejudice. This is the smartest film in town.
– Full review
-
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Writer's block has never been so entertaining.
– Full review
-
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Screenwriter Zach Helm's comedy has some quirky points, but it's very sugary and sentimental, and feeble compared to the work of those who have done the same sort of thing better: Woody Allen or...
– Full review
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