A pleasant surprise.

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2010)

'Stranger than Fiction' was on Cable TV last night and, by having nothing better to do, I decided to watch it, but I wasn't really expecting much, since the main part here is Will Ferrel's and features Queen Latifah, so I though it was one more lame comedy. But when I saw the rest of cast, with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, and the director, I got cheered up a little. Marc Foster had directed 'Finding Neverland', a great picture. And by giving this one a chance, what a pleasant surprise I had.
'Stranger than Fiction' is a original screenplay by USA-born writer Zach Helm. It tells the story of a methodic IRS agent who wakes up in one morning and starts to hear a voice on his head narrating everything he does. At first, he thinks he is crazy, but when he goes get help he finds out that the voice is of a writer who's writing a novel about him, even though he doesn't know her. He is just a character for her. Although the plot seems weirs, and it really is, the script is very well-written and keeps you interested on what's going to happen with those characters. There lots of intelligent dialogs, and the funny parts aren't forced or out-of-place - it's all exactly were it should be. There also a few memorable lines.
The cast here has famous names, featuring also Maggie Gyllenhaal aside from the already quoted names - Will Ferrel, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman and Queen Latifah. And it was really nice to see Will Ferrel different from what he is used to. After this movie, I'm going to see him as a real actor, he just have to choose better projects. Queen Latifah was also a surprise - she was great as the writer's assistant. Maggie Gyllenhaal is lovely as the main character's love interest, and Dustin Hoffman is always great, but the member of the cast that really drew my attention was Emma Thompson. I always particularly liked her, and she is absolutely marvelous on the role of Karen Eiffel, the writer.
Marc Foster's direction isn't bad, with some interesting camera-work and the intelligent use of special effects, one thing really rare on today's movies. And talking about those, they were really great, even for today's standards. The editing is also well-made, so is the cinematography. The soundtrack really fits in - another thing that you don't see much on today's movies.
Overral, this is a little and funny comedy movie that really makes you feel good. An interesting plot, a great casting ensemble and the efficient directing by Marc Foster are worth the ticket. A few flaws and holes on the script don't ruin the pleasant surprise I had watching this.
8/10