Product Description

An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to effect his entire life from his work to his love-interest to his death.System Requirements:Running Time: 113 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: PG - 13 UPC: 043396154070 Manufacturer No: 15407

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1023 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2007-02-27
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French
• Dubbed in: French
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 113 minutes

Amazon.com
Much was written about Will Ferrell's first "dramatic role" as Harold Crick, an IRS auditor who begins hearing a voice narrating his life. But Stranger Than Fiction is hardly a drama. However, what Ferrell does--like Jim Carrey before him in The Truman Show--is handle a toned-down character with genuineness and affection: you believe he is this guy. Crick leads a lonely life filled with numbers and routines. While at first he considers the voice a nuisance, Crick decides more action is needed when it speaks of "his demise." Enter Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who takes on the absurd notion with revelry, trying to find out what kind of book Crick's life is leading. It turns out that the voice Crick is hearing belongs to Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a very real--and troubled--author who is writing a book in which Crick is a fictional character. As usual with these things, the stuffed shirt learns to live a better life--Crick even falls for one of his audits, a brash baker named Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Marc Foster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland) has the right tone for the film, using great urban scenes (the unnamed city is Chicago) with interesting visualizations of Crick's world of numbers. He also directs Ferrell, Hoffman, and Gyllenhaal to their most charming performances (plus Linda Hunt and Tom Hulce pop up in two funny scenes). Ferrell succeeds in being a romantic lead you can root for; a scene where he eats Ana's freshly baked cookies is totally delightful without a hint of sarcasm. Screenwriter Zach Helm has two personal traits with his story: like Crick he followed his heart (he stopped rewriting scripts and only worked on his own) and like Eiffel, the final results are not a masterpiece, but good, and entertaining enough. Britt Daniel of the band Spoon worked on the dynamite soundtrack.--Doug Thomas

Extras from Stranger Than Fiction

"Counting Brush Strokes," A featurette on the filming of Stranger Than Fictionhigh bandwidth

Tax Man!: A clip from the film high bandwidth

Queen Latifah on working with Emma Thompson high bandwidth

Stills from Stranger Than Fiction (click for larger image)

Beyond Stranger Than Fiction on Amazon.com

Comic Actors Go Dramatic

CD Soundtrack

Emma Thompson Essentials

Customer Reviews

Don't miss this movie.
Found this movie by accident.Really great story line, acting and sound track. Think it is Will Ferrell's best work yet.A good romantic comedy!

A metaphor for modern life-thumbs up!
I was hesitant to watch Will Farrell in this film, but was pleasantly surprised. My favorite line of the movie was when Emma Thompson, the writer says something like, if you set out to kill the guy in the story, and the guy wants to change the outcome, wants he finds out he will die, shouldn't those be the guys you keep alive? It speaks to those people who believe in fate, vs a predefined outcome to their lives, and the film overall is a great metaphor for not letting "life pass you by", in lieu of routine and monotony.

All of the characters are well developed and the chemistry is fantastic. I love Maggie and Dustin in these roles, and Emma Thompson as usual, is standout, as she is faced with her writer's block, and struggles with writing a tragedy vs a comedy. The film also reminds us what things are important in life, and how our behavior would/would not change if faced with sudden death. Although most people would anticipate a comedy, when Will Farrel is involved, this film, laces realism with a provocative challenge of examining our lives in a more "aware" state of mind. Not what I expected-recommend for a night of reflection, laughter and consideration.

Stranger Than Fiction
This video played to a crucial point and then IT QUIT. This was a birthday present for my daughter. We had to drive to the video store and rent it so she could see the end. The seller did reimburse us for the video, but we had to pay for the shipping. I will never buy a used video from Amazon again.