Talk:Stranger than Fiction (2006 film)

message: I have to say the narration style in this movie is written very much in the vein of Douglas Adams.  If anyone agrees, I think it is worth mention.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.57.115.7 (talk) 16:33, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  influences 

message: This:
:* During the movie, numerous references are made to The Beatles. Harold Crick is seen eating a green apple in numerous scenes, as a reference to Apple Records, The Beatles' record company. The name of Karen Eiffel's assistant is Penny Escher, as a reference to the song, Penny Lane. Harold Crick is seen crossing the road in some scenes, it looks somewhat like the cover of the album, Abbey Road. As a very simple observation, Harold Crick is a tax man, as a reference to the first song of the album Revolver, Taxman.
Is a real stretch... None of that is by any means proof of a connection. Crossing the street and a character having the first name (not even the last name, but just FIRST name) of Penny, and eating an apple is hardly evidence of a Beatles reference, and unless a citation can be produced, I have removed it. -- Ubergenius 19:29, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: *In the scene where Harold gets off the bus after his chance meeting with Ana, a lit-up sign in the background reads 'Drury Lane'.  This is a reference to the children's rhyme, 'Do You Know The Muffin Man', which tells about a baker who lives on Drury Lane.
Is also a stretch. You can't make these kinds of connections without a citation. Just because something shares a common name does not mean it has any connection, ESPECIALLY considering there REALLY IS a Drury Lane in Chicago. -- Ubergenius 19:35, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

text: Agreed. –Pomte 03:34, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

text: I am Neutral on this matter. kzz* 20:06, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Hum, the Drury Lane might be a deliberate reference to Ana being a baker, but oh my god the Beatles references should be left in because they are so damn funny! Never in all my months at wikipedia have a seen such a stretch as those Beatles mentions. JayKeaton 13:13, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: No

message: I'm not so sure the movie took place in Chicago. It was clearly filmed there, but street names (Euclid) and the MTA (as opposed to CTA) seem to indicate somewhere else, perhaps a fictional city.(67.163.51.254 07:05, 10 December 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, isn't it set in New York City? That would make since for the MTA. Kdupuy9 02:26, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

text: Yes, the DVD Featurettes say that Forster kept the setting city unnamed on purpose. Hoof Hearted 17:38, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

text: The city is alluded to in the story when Harold finds the publisher's address is New York, where he (presumably) is already. 98.92.187.184 (talk) 08:42, 10 December 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: Setting

message: This movie has an extremely similar plot to an episode of The Twilight Zone from 2003 called "Gabe's Story".  The link is here:  http://www.tv.com/the-twilight-zone-2002/gabes-story/episode/212867/recap.html
: Thank you for mentioning this! Misty MH (talk) 09:09, 23 February 2023 (UTC)
thread_title: Twilight Zone Episode

message: I know someone did it User:Marioman11 14:33, 11 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Who erased  that stuff I put

message: I put Emma Thompson under the article cast list, because, for the English campaign at least, she is being marketed as the main character, with Will Ferrel supporting. 193.203.70.98 14:30, 29 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: It is, however, an American film, so the cast should be listed with Ferrell first.206.116.141.183 06:20, 5 August 2006 (UTC)

text: It's clearly Will Ferrell with Emma Thompson supporting. 77.99.233.169 15:41, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

text: Agreed as well. Tommyhaych 20:12, 1 March 2008 (UTC)

text: This is America, damnit! TripOnMyShip (talk) 09:08, 15 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Emma Thompson

message: Wasn't there another movie JUST like this made in the 80s??? I can't remember the name but I want to say John Candy was the main character.
Maybe you should do some research first idiot
:No Personal Attacks Please.  --ScarletSpiderDave 16:25, 23 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: He's referring to the Delirious (film), although I'd hardly say they two are similar enough to consider the second a rip off. - Kevingarcia 06:54, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Rip-Off? 

message: I saw the film and some of that plot detail is out of order. For example, it says that he receives the book from the writer, than goes out and fulfills his life, when in the movie he did all of that before he even knew the writer's name. Also, the writer pondered about possibly having killed others before Harold died.
First of all I feel that the Plot is well written, but I also agree. The Plot doesn't say anything about scenes with Eiffel and Escher prior to the point in which Crick discover's who the voice is. For example, there are scenes where Eiffel is trying to find how to 'kill' Harold Crick by going to emergency rooms and contemplating car crashes. This should be added somewhere in the plot, unless it is too insignificant.142.46.7.18 01:11, 12 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  out of order 

message: Could Ana's last name be a reference to the geometrically arranged triangle of the same name and thus a good match for Harold's orderly lifestyle? Has anybody heard if this was intentional and if it's worth noting under the trivia section? md10md; My talk. 02:58, 14 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: See Pascal and sign your comments. It's a pre-existing human name. Ace Class Shadow; My talk. 03:05, 14 November 2006 (UTC)

text: And Pascal's Triangle is an invention of Blaise Pascal, the mathematician, so it could be an oblique reference to either, but there is no string evidence that I know of to suggest that this was a deliberate choice on the part of the writer, though it could have been.--Lemoncurry 03:35, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  From a review: "A devotee of riddles and puzzles, Zach Helm has lined the script with subtle cues and twists. The street names, business names, and the characters' last names--Crick, Pascal, Eiffel, Escher, Baneker, Kronecker, Cayly--are all mathematicians who have focused on the innate order of things. There is even a playful salute to mathematician David Hilbert and the 23 questions he put forth at the 1900 International Congress of Mathematicians."  -- Garfield226 05:40, 26 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Or perhaps it was simply acknowledging the head of the studio that made the film, Amy Pascal, which is awfully close to "Ana Pascal."  SteveCoppock (talk) 21:56, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ana Pascal - Math Reference 

message: Does anyone know what the brand of wrist watch is that Harold wears? if not, do you know anything like it with analog hands and a digital face? --DannyBoy7783 00:41, 18 November 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, I just kept searching and I found a website about it. Here's the official timex page. I tried it on at a timex store today. Not a bad watch: Timex link --DannyBoy7783 06:43, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

text: Seeing as the watch plays quite a big part in the movie, I would say it is very important to put the brand and model in. I'll add it back in JayKeaton 13:16, 8 July 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Crick's wristwatch

message: Does anyone know why the boom mic was visible in so many shots (at least four I noticed).  Was this a device, or a just mistake?192.88.212.44 16:16, 27 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Appearance of Mics and Cables? 

message: It marks spoilers for the main plot outline, and claims it ends there. However, in the character section, in Ana's character description, it states, "Ana ultimately reciprocates Harold's desire for her." This is definitely a spoiler. I feel spoiled, anyway...69.253.55.143
 
:Sorry. I fixed the cast section. It should be fair less "spoilerish" and generally POV now. Ace Class Shadow; My talk. 06:56, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Unmarked Spoilers! 

message: On another note, dont you guys feel that this movie would have been much better if it had ended with him dead. As referenced to in the movie, after she decided to let him live, the film turned out to be alright, not a masterpiece. Thoughts or opinions? NeoXtremeX 08:47, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Sorry, but Wikipedia is not a forum. Not our place to discuss this at length. We discuss changes to the article. Ace Class Shadow; My talk. 08:55, 1 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ending 

message: Could it be that fender payd to have an ad in this movie? the hall guitar buying act seems ditches gibsons "fat" guitar and then says that "everything you need is life is a Fender Stratocaster"... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 89.1.186.172 (talk) 21:09, 13 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fender ad? 

message: The "Harold Crick Isn't Ready To Go. Period." has been 'translated' in a way into "Harold Crick Isn't Ready To Go. Full Stop." in countries like Australia, The UK, and New Zealoand, where Full Stop is used instead of Period to end a sentence. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 125.238.3.103 (talk) 03:19, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: You prat. Whats the point in that? I'm British and I understand that. It's not like a Brit isn't going to get off his ass and search for it if curious.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Tommyhaych (talk • contribs) 20:14, 1 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Why call him a prat? He wasn't in charge of the tagline. 172.206.45.234 (talk) 06:33, 18 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: What's a prat?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.247.244.120 (talk) 20:58, 25 October 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: See http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prat --Cogburnd02 (talk) 15:31, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tagline 

message: When I heard the opening monologue from the narrator, I was positive I had hear or read it before.  Is this an adaptation of a prior work?  I can't find any evidence that it is, but I can't shake the feeling.  I almost want to say it was a five second Monty Python sketch.  When I saw Mr. Creosote in the film, I took that as a confirmation, but now I can't find anything to validate that idea.  04:53, 4 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Prior work? 

message: Ummm... why does it say "Gay Man" on the poster? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.160.104.25 (talk) 05:23, 5 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gay man? 

message: #####  SPOILER  #####
since Harold knew what was going to happen in the end could he not have just stopped his death from happening by grabbing the boy before he got near the bus stop, it's not like the words in the book were going to automatically change once this happened and she cannot change it back Risteard B 18:19, 12 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: This is not a forum ...but I think you're missing the point, which is that Harold was willing to sacrafice of his own life to save the boy -- which is what makes his character to strong -- which is why he was a character worth saving in the end.  Hoof Hearted 18:49, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  What?? 

message: "Harold Crick's initials are H.C. which is symbolic for Hard Cover ...as in Book."  This seems dubious at best.  Do others agree that this should be removed? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Gzoek (talk • contribs) 06:02, 15 May 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I thought the same thing.  I'll be bold and remove it.  Hoof Hearted 18:50, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Harold Crick = "Hard Cover"? 

message: :Image:Maggie will.JPG is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
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BetacommandBot 22:50, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Maggie will.JPG

message: MTA doesn't specifically refer to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It also refers to the Maryland Transit Administration; the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority; the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority' the Mendocino Transit Authority; the Des Moines (Iowa) Metropolitan Transit Authority; the Flint Michigan Mass Transportation Authority; the Manchester (New Hampshire) Transit Authority; Clinton (Iowa) Municipal Transit Administration; Macon (Georgia) Transit Authority; San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency; and I am sure there are lots of others.
SSG Cornelius Seon (Retired) (talk) 00:45, 22 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  MTA 

message: The line "but is outspokenly liberal and loathes all things corporate." in Ana's character description is unsubstantiated. I'm replacing it with "but has anarchistic tendencies" since this is actually referred to in the movie itself. For the record, Anarchism is not really "liberal," if anything, I'd say it's more closely related to libertarianism.
Patrick Sewell (talk) 02:13, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: She's against military expenditures and corporate welfare. Not liberal? Please. --99.163.50.12 (talk) 10:23, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ana description 

message: Seems odd the article does not have a critical (or box office) reception section area. But if someone does do the box office, please be specific as to what revenue stream you are listing. SteveCoppock (talk) 22:05, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Critical Reception?

message: Magical Realism is an artistic form that brings magical or illogical elements into a setting that in other respects is realistic and logical. If you want to know more, Wiki has an article you can read. When watching Stranger than Fiction it occurred to me it was part of the evolution of magical realism. Originally, the definition of the genre was very specific, but now describes all artistic use of altered reality. A modern example of magical realism is the film The Milagro Bean Field War. It is a fusion stylistically of the new elements and the old. Stranger than Fiction is well rooted in that artistic tradition while taking it to a new level. Pamela Parker (talk) 14:15, 30 August 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Stanger Than Fiction v Magical Realism 

message: If someone could create an article for Harold Crick, I'd add all the information necessary. There are many facts given about his background (his favourite word is integers, and he was engaged in his past, to an auditor)that could make a useful article. I have an account but cannot figure out how to create an article. And if someone could tell me just how to tell me how to make an article. I know how to work the structure and text and everything. Any help would be... helpful. Thanks.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by That70'sShow73 (talk • contribs) 00:26, 11 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Harold Crick article 

message: In the Production section there is the claim that "The bakery that Ana Pascal runs, although set in an Ukrainian village is actually located in the South Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago". Now it's been a while since I last watched this movie, but I'm pretty sure Ukraine plays no part in it. However since I tracked that change back to May and it has survived ever since, maybe I'm missing something. Can someone with better recollection of the movie check if this is wrong or not? --Ferengi (talk) 18:54, 17 September 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: No objections so far, I removed the erroneous bit. --Ferengi (talk) 09:51, 18 September 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ana's bakery in a Ukrainian village? 

message: I think "irrepressable" should be removed. Do you agree? Thanks Kvsh5 (talk) 18:13, 1 November 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  "...the irrepressable Emma Thompson" 

message: Does anyone know the model of typewriter Karen Eiffel is using in this film? (see also the section on Crick's watch, as I think they're both integral parts of the film, the watch as a character and the typewriter as the device which makes Eiffel's writings (handwritten manuscripts) about Crick come true.)--Cogburnd02 (talk) 15:46, 10 February 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Eiffel's Typewriter 

message: As long as the article includes the extensive list of influences, it seems that you ought to add a reference to L. Ron Hubbard's Typewriter in the Sky.  That story pre-dates many of the alleged influences cited here, and the article on the Hubbard story offers a couple of citations supporting the idea that it was a possible influence on Stranger than Fiction.  
(I'll leave it to those more actively editing this article to decide whether to add the Hubbard reference, trim some of the other "influences," or both.) 
--JohnPomeranz (talk) 23:35, 18 March 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Hubbard's [[Typewriter in the Sky]]? 

message: I removed the statement that the main characters were named after "well-known mathematicians". That is likely true for Hilbert, perhaps, if unplausible, also for Pascal. There are no famous mathematicians named Crick, Eiffel and Escher, the people that come to mind here would be a biologist, French engineer and Dutch artist. --80.219.84.186 (talk) 10:21, 5 December 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: The credits (as IMDB lists them) include "Kronecker Bus Driver", "Dr. Cayly", "Banneker Press Receptionist", and "Doctor Mercator", which likely correspond to Leopold Kronecker, Arthur Cayley, Benjamin Banneker, and Gerardus Mercator. Each of these could be called mathematicians to some degree, though the first two very much were. I suppose this doesn't matter for the article since it's my own speculation, though this many uncommon mathematician's names in one script can't be a coincidence. 67.158.43.41 (talk) 07:46, 19 March 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: See earlier discussion thread where this was brought up like 5 yrs ago: (from a review ) "A devotee of riddles and puzzles, Zach Helm has lined the script with subtle cues and twists. The street names, business names, and the characters' last names--Crick, Pascal, Eiffel, Escher, Baneker, Kronecker, Cayly--are all mathematicians who have focused on the innate order of things. There is even a playful salute to mathematician David Hilbert and the 23 questions he put forth at the 1900 International Congress of Mathematicians." While it's true that the three named above by the OP above are not strictly speaking mathematicians, their work is greatly influenced by math and I think that is how the reviewer meant it, in a more general sense. But anyway, this article's text could be improved to reflect that. -A98 98.92.186.145 (talk) 08:52, 10 December 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Mathematicians