Finally saw Will Ferrell's STRANGER THAN FICTION. I had heard good things about it, but nothing overwhelming, so my expectations were pretty middle of the road. I think this is Ferrell's best movie so far. I always thought he was more of a "Steve Martin" comedian. Meaning, put him in a "serious" role and then let his natural comedic nuances come out through the character, opposed to being full-on silly-assault (ie ELF). The story felt very much like a Charlie Kaufman film and at one point I got up to check (it isn't), probably because it reminded me of Adaptation (another movie I enjoyed). I caught myself several times enjoying some of the camera work; framing, etc. There's a scene between Will and Maggie on a city bus with fun camera work that made me smile! The cast is wonderful; Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman and the always lovely Emma Thompson (I love her) with a cameo by the fanastic Linda Hunt!! The writing is fun and quarky (although sometimes a bit too much, but even then you allow it with a smile). On a side note, I really noticed the set designs in almost every shot. Weird, since that's something I normally don't pay attention to (maybe Woo's work is influencing me more than I realized. shrug). It's not perfect, by any means, and tries too hard for its own good at times. It also stumbles every once in awhile into the Cliche - I am so tired of the crazy larger-than-life girl who teaches the stiff stuffy man how to enjoy life - but the characters are so likeable, you forgive its minor flaws.Anyway, in the end, we both really enjoyed this movie and it made me think about my own life, which is a good thing. One of the more enjoyable movies I've seen lately. Don't let the bad commercials fool you. I recommend giving it a rental!
If you liked the below, you'll probably like STRANGER THAN FICTION:ADAPTATION
PUNK DRUNK LOVE
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Posts
4 comments:
We'll have to check it out once it hits DirectTV's pay-per-view.
We just bought the Ricky Bobby movie on Saturday and it was pretty funny. But, I have to say that Ferrell's movies are all starting to have a similar theme - guy has a job he loves, guy fails at the job, guy falls into pit of despair, guy gets job back and all is right with the world.
This is a totally different kind of movie from his previous work. Its more of a drama, with some quirkiness to it. It's not goofy like Talladega Nights, Elf or Anchorman. So don't go into thinking its going to be a silly comedy... it'll throw ya if ya do. :)
yea,...this movie was definately marketed wrong. I really loiked it. It was nice to see Will NOT try being over the top.
LOIKED ; 1)_other wise known as 'liked', often accompanied by bad spelling, rushed sentences, and poor planning. 2) a word that can cause religious friction, warfare, and genocide if uttered in certain circles of the globe 3) The ramblings of a drunk college student.
Post a Comment