A waste of a promising concept

Rating: 4/10 (25 April 2007)

Some concepts are just meant to be used for greater life questions. Think Twelve Monkeys, Fight Club, Eternal Sunshine on a Spotless Mind or Donnie Darko. And then, there's Stranger Than Fiction. Even though the concept of a man knowing his fate might leave some scenario writers eager to explore the possibilities, the writers of Stranger Than Fiction just thought it was necessary to turn it into a tacky love story, with a very unsurprising end.
There's just too much wrong with this movie. Although it starts with a promising style, that style is quickly abandoned. Although the movie starts with the promise of creating a deep character, it quickly becomes obvious no psychology is included in this movie. The characters are flat and even though the cast is outstanding, there just isn't any magic between them at all.
Then, there's the love story. It is as cliché as love stories get, with an unlikely couple, a romantic moment in which music plays a major role and of course a narrated description of the main character's bliss afterwards. Of course, the love story evolves into a minor drama, after which love literally saves a life. Please.
Still, there's some moments which made me smile for just a few seconds. Some moments which were too embarrassing, the entirely stereotyped cubicle office worker. They don't weigh up to the shortcomings of the plot, though. Skip this movie and choose a better one.