Strong throughout

Rating: 8/10 (2 May 2017)

The first remark that comes to mind when thinking of this film is it's good from the very start...to the end ! So many in fact a vast, vast majority of Hollywood mainstream films that do well at being engaging at first will only throw out an entertaining idea to be entertained by its audience for a while, before that idea is exhausted and the experience wears very thin. Here, it holds up til the end, and the conclusion isn't a rushed potato salad that contrasts hard in quality with the earlier developments and hopes of the movie.
Some have saluted Ferrel's "excellent acting", while others have condemned it saying this role was stripping him of his natural charm that people watch him for in the first place. You must agree at least a bit with the first view. He does superbly well at being a hybrid, a lead character torn between being a mere fictional hero of some narrated story and an actual individual with feelings and opinions and emotions. He conveys that very well.
Emma Thompson pretty good also.
There are lots of symbols in this film, about the daily life... about just life. The importance of it. It gives an interesting perspective on it. And it does really well to be ambiguous with the two levels it works on but coherent all the same and manage to actually come up with a strong resolve out of that awkward mingling.
One of the rare films of its kind to deliver from A to Z. Well done. Certainly more than a mere amusing Hollywood comedy.