Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Reviews Counted: 172
Fresh: 124 | Rotten: 48
A fun, whimsical tale about an office drone trying to save his life from his narrator, Stranger Than Fiction features a subdued performances from Will Ferrell that contributes mightily to its quirky, mind-bending affect.
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Critic Reviews: 43
Fresh: 29 | Rotten: 14
A fun, whimsical tale about an office drone trying to save his life from his narrator, Stranger Than Fiction features a subdued performances from Will Ferrell that contributes mightily to its quirky, mind-bending affect.
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Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 370,796
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Movie Info
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
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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 -
Martha Espinoza
IRS Co-Worker 3 -
T.J. Jagodowski
IRS Co-Worker 4 -
Peter Grosz
IRS Co-Worker 5 -
Ricky Adams
Young Boy -
Christian Stolte
Young Boy's Father -
Denise Hughes
Kronecker Bus Driver -
Peggy Roeder
Polish Woman -
Tonray Ho
IRS Co-Worker 6 -
Danny Rhodes
Bakery Employee 1 -
Helen Young
Bakery Customer 1 -
David Pompeii
Bakery Customer 2 -
Linara Washington
Bakery Employee 2 -
Larry Neumann Jr.
Homeless Man -
John Mohrlein
Man With Hose -
Bruce Jarchow
Commuter -
Kristin Chenoweth
Book Channel Host -
Bradley Mott
Large Man on Bus -
John Watson Sr.
TV Author -
David Wiegers
Bakery Customer 3 -
Jarret Sleeper
Bakery Customer 4 -
Karen Lloyd
Customer With Tan -
Keith Kupferer
Demolition Foreman -
Danny McCarthy
Demoliton Crew -
Tab Baker
Demolition Crew -
Mark Buettner
Claw Operator -
Christian Young
ER Doctor 1 -
Arraon Hixson
Young Male Patient -
Bryan Kelly
ER Orderly -
Whitney Sneed
ER Nurse 1 -
Ray Kurut
ER Doctor 2 -
Michael Cook
ER Doctor 3 -
Cheryl Lynn Bruce
Head ER Nurse -
Chet Dubowski
Man in Tweed -
Oran "Juice" Jones
Banneker Press Receptio... -
Jordan Keller
Grocer -
Herb Lichtenstein
IRS Co-Worker 7 -
Stacey Jackson
IRS Co-Worker 8 -
Jordan Teplitz
Old Man on Phone -
Ricardo Guiterrez
Bus Company Manager -
James Mazza
Irritated Man on Bus -
Oscar Roxas
Another Man on Bus -
Nadiera Bost
Accident Witness -
Sandra Marquez
Accident Witness -
Lacy Coil
Accident Witness -
Will Clinger
Accident Witness -
Albert Samuels
Accident Witness -
Frank Caeti
Accident Witness -
Andrew Rothenberg
Doctor Mercator -
Rengin Altay
Nurse -
Lucinda Kemp
Bus Operator -
Donna Watkins
Bus Operator -
Julien Heron
Animal Footage Voiceove... -
Bob Papenbrook
Animal Footage Voiceove... -
Mike McColl
Animal Footage Voiceove...
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Stranger Than Fiction Trailer & Photos
All Critics (173) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (129) | Rotten (49) | DVD (22)
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.
An uncommonly plastic bit of Hallmark sentiment-mongering, with exactly the kind of New Age psychobabble ending youâ(TM)d expect.
A film well worth seeing and savoring.
Stranger Than Fiction seems like an old episode of the Twilight Zone, and the idea would have worked better as one of Rod Serling's half-hour epistles on human foibles.
Stranger Than Fiction is both about a novel and like a novel; you eagerly await the turning of the pages.
It doesn't coast on its premise but follows where it leads, which is into some serious territory. What might have been a joke with a tagged-on sentimental ending becomes instead a sensitive movie that affirms the value of life.
Intriguing 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 courage of its fatalistic fiction.
"It's not the best piece of English literature of the last ten years," Dustin Hoffman says of Emma Thompson's newest novel, "but it's not bad." That just about sums up Stranger Than Fiction, too.
Touching dramedy is heavy; won't interest most kids.
Inventively inverting "Adaptation.'s'" anxiety into light romance, "Fiction" is one of the most intelligent, lively, charming and beguiling concept comedies since "Groundhog Day" and a perfect seriocomic splinter of Will Ferrell's big-baby shtick.
"Stranger Than Fiction" is a sterile and pedantic comedy that tells much more than it shows.
Suggests how cleverness can suffocate people
Forster lards over his whimsically feeble film with sentimentality.
The special edition Blu-ray disc is a treat, providing several nice extras.
Some of Will Ferrell's biggest fans might find it overly tame and subtle, but it's interesting, enjoyable and a revelation to see he can keep his pants on and still entertain.
... a highly recommended purchase for major fans of the movie.
It could have been great. But it's just okay.
What starts out as a complex, intriguing movie turns stale quickly.
The movieâ(TM)s unforgivable logical flaws and gummy platitudes donâ(TM)t sink it...thanks to Ferrellâ(TM)s fine and humane performance.
Stranger Than Fiction is not a fluff film. Far from it. Literate and engaging, it may parade around in nonsensical clothes, but just scratch the surface and a vast reservoir of post-modern existentialism is revealed.
The place where the film runs into problems is in trying to decide, like Harold, as to whether or not it is a comedy or a tragedy. As we know, comedy sells much better and that's the direction the film leans.
Strong performances and an interesting-enough script make Stranger Than Fiction an enjoyable night at the movies, even if the logic breaks down in places and the ending feels disingenuous.
Though there are enough interesting moments to keep it refreshing, Mr. Helm's script never rises above its conceit to reach the giddy Charlie Kaufman heights to which it aspires.
Audience Reviews for Stranger Than Fiction
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- Harold Crick: I brought you flours.
-
- Professor Jules Hilbert: Aren't you glad you're not a golem?
- Harold Crick: Yes. I am glad I'm not a golem.
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- Karen 'Kay' Eiffel: If only he knew that by wednesday he will die.
- Harold Crick: What? Did you who said that?
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- ER Orderly: Are you suffering from something?
- Karen 'Kay' Eiffel: Just writer's block.
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- Penny Escher: And I supposed you smoked all these cigarettes.
- Karen 'Kay' Eiffel: [beat] No, they came pre-smoked.
- Penny Escher: [deadpan] They said you were funny...
-
- Harold Crick: Thank you for forcing me to eat them.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| How they did it - VFX for Stranger than Fiction | 55 days ago | 0 |
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Foreign Titles
- Stranger Than Fiction (DE)
- Stranger Than Fiction (Film Series) (UK)










Top Critic
I loved the bus scenes.