So much better than I thought it would be...and I thought it would be good!

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2007)

This movie was excellent. It had a little bit of everything. Something for everyone. It was a lighthearted comedy, a romance, a touch of real drama, suspense, and it even contained some clever efx that seriously enriched the shots where they were used.
The most remarkable thing to me about this film was Will Farrell! He was superbly understated. His comedy was not what you're used to from him. His entire performance was played skillfully close to the chest. His expressions and movements and inflections were atypical for a Farrell role. For this fact alone I was delighted with the movie. I love a good SNL skit as much as the next person, but a feature-length film of his typical comic affectations wear thin for me. His acting, actual ACTING, in this movie deserves recognition and I would love to see him receive some awards nominations for this role.
All the other roles (save perhaps that of Queen Latifa) were also expertly executed. I felt that Latifa's role as the assistant for Thompson's author-with-writer's block did add something to the mix, but I didn't feel her acting was as high caliber as the other characters.
I hope you will take the time to watch this movie. It was really wonderful. My husband and I both found ourselves deeply moved by the story. These days we don't often come away from a film saying repeatedly, "that was a good movie!" THIS is a GOOD MOVIE.
I am giving this movie a 9/10 for one reason only: there was a significant period of time during the film where the narration that was driving the plot of the story stopped and it was missed.