Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Director:

Marc Forster

Writer (WGA):

Zach Helm (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period.

Plot:

An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.

Plot Keywords:

Author | IRS Agent | Bakery | Audit | What If

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 11 nominations

Cast

Will Ferrell	...	Harold Crick
William Dick	...	IRS Co-Worker #1
Guy Massey	...	IRS Co-Worker #2
Martha Espinoza	...	IRS Co-Worker #3
T.J. Jagodowski	...	IRS Co-Worker #4
Peter Grosz	...	IRS Co-Worker #5
Ricky Adams	...	Young Boy
Christian Stolte	...	Young Boy's Father
Denise Hughes	...	Kronecker Bus Driver
Peggy Roeder	...	Polish Woman
Tonray Ho	...	IRS Co-Worker #6
Tony Hale	...	Dave
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Ana Pascal
Danny Rhodes	...	Bakery Employee #1
Helen Young	...	Bakery Customer #1

Also Known As:

Killing Harold Crick (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, sexuality, brief language and nudity.

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

UK:12A | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-7 | Australia:M | USA:PG-13 (certificate #42015) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:7 | Germany:6 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:10 | Argentina:Atp | Malaysia:U | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | South Korea:12 | Denmark:7 | Canada:G (British Columbia/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Netherlands:6

Filming Locations:

25th Street & Christiana Avenue, South Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures

Trivia:

Dustin Hoffman's character (Professor Hilbert) creates a questionnaire of 23 items for Will Ferrell's character (Harold Crick). Professor David Hilbert, the German mathematician, proposed a famous list 23 problems at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Paris in 1900. Hilbert's problems became so famous that they are typically referred to by number among mathematicians and philosophers and several are still unanswered.

Goofs:

Factual errors: There are a number of inconsistencies in the apartment demolition scene. After seeing a man appear in the apartment partially wrecked by their front-end loader, the demo crew foreman shouts "stop the crane," which would only be appropriate if they were using a wrecking ball instead. Demo crews would never start work at an incorrect address - the site was obviously not prepared for wrecking, there were no permits posted, and the demo plan would not have matched the configuration of the "wrong" building (OK, so this is a conceit of the movie, we can suspend the disbelief for this one.) Also, the front end loader would not have been stopped for so long after tearing out the first chucks of the apartment. Yes, after seeing an occupant, work would stop immediately, but there was an overly long stop period before they see Harold Crick. (This can also be the writer's conceit, but it truly doesn't fit the situation.)

Quotes:

Dr. Jules Hilbert: Little did he know. That means there's something he doesn't know, which means there's something you don't know, did you know that?

Movie Connections:

Features The Meaning of Life (1983)

Soundtrack:

Small Stakes

TIFF Screening

Saw it at The Toronto International Film Festival and it was well done. Original storyline, fantastic performance from Ferrel, Thompson and Hoffman. The most moving performance from Will Ferrel I have ever seen is within this film. The storyline some may believe to be too far fetched at first to take seriously, but in the end it does work. What makes the film work the most are the brilliant performances from Ferrel and Thompson. Without these two- the film couldn't have been pulled off! I recommend this flick to anyone looking to laugh and cry and then laugh again. It was a truly brilliant film. 10/10 (Hoffman and Ferrel were too kind to shake hands and greet the fans inside the screening as well.)