Stranger than Fiction (2006) DVD

Stranger than Fiction

Directed by: Marc Forster
Written by: Zach Helm

Starring: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhall,
Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman,
Queen Latifah and Tony Hale.

It's not like this movie is new or anything, in fact you probably wanted to see it in the theater but there was probably something else out at the time or it was released on that weird week where nothing else comes out and you really didn't want to have to solely commit to it when standing in line for tickets. Something to that extent. Now a days I have a hard time sitting down and watching a rental, I'm afraid I'm going to get bored or see the ending coming and it's rare to find a movie that I'm in the right mood for. Stranger than Fiction was one of those movies for me, I wanted to watch it but I wanted to be in the right mood for it so that I didn't judge the movie to harshly and take it for what it is and not what I would have made it into.

The thing about good movies... they can change your mood, they can take you out of a funk and put you at ease. This movie did that for me. I'm not going to drone on and on about what the movies about, I'll just simply say it's about Harold Crick (Ferrell) who is the main character of a book, only he's a real person. One day he hears a narration while brushing his teeth. The Narration continues through his day to day life until taking a nasty turn for the worst and simply says, "Little did he know that this simple, seemingly innocuous act would ultimately result in his death." Thus spilling the proverbial beans that our Main Character is in fact on his way to a timely death. Like any person he wants to find out why he's going to die and what he can do to change the ending.

That's all I'll tell you because that's all you should know going in to the movie. I'll admit that when I first heard the plot of this movie I thought, "Sounds Chessey." Well I was wrong. Will Ferrel and frankly everyone on the cast do a wonderful job, and each character is just fun to watch. Gyllenhall and Ferrel give great performances and interact with each other amazingly but you'll be hard pressed to decide who you want to see more Hoffman or Gyllenhall? Both characters are interesting and make you laugh so I guess you'll just have to decide for yourself. What I like most about this movie and other movies that I would group in this same genre, is that they have heart. They make you laugh, but then at the end they truly have heart and were able to strike a chord with the audience. I have read good reviews and bad reviews and perhaps if I watched it again I would find some inconsistencies but again it's a good movie. Good movies should just be watched and enjoyed, not over analyzed based on the Star of the movie. I have to give this movie a 10.0 because few movies make me regret not seeing them in the theater and also convince me to pick up the DVD at the same time. Even if your still 'Iffy' about it at least rent it and allow it to change your mood for you.