Tara and I went to see this piece of trash as a part of our ongoing Philadelphia Degi/Uno Movie Review Weekend series. I will happily take the credit for NOT being the one to pick this movie.
When I got the call from another member of the movie club, I used up my veto power on another film, the newest one from Christopher Guest. Yeah yeah yeah his films are funny, save it for someone who agrees. Never understood why his films are so popular. Well made, well directed, but SLOOOOOW, and oftentimes, too smugly dry for me to sit through.
Does it tell you anything that I havent even said anything about Stranger Than Fiction? The reason for this is: It Sucked, capital letters, and I don't mean 'I was kind of bored'. It hurt so bad that I tried to fall asleep after the 1st hour, but felt bad because the others seemed to be enjoying it. It made my balls hurt. It made me feel like I hate Will Farrel.
Don't be fooled: This film is a ROMANTIC COMEDY couched in some half-assed, rip-off 'postmodern' plot. I liked this movie better when it was called "Adaptation" or "The New York Trilogy" (a great book by Paul Auster). Seriously, after one gets over the initial 'shock' of learning that the main character is actually a character IN a book--written by someone else in the movie, we later learn--one thinks to oneself, "Boy, this would have made a great plot. . . for my freshman english fiction writing class!" In a nutshell, the narrative is amaturish, boring, predictable, and sappy. You'll love it if you're a fan of Jennifer Aniston films. The main actors (Will Farell and Maggie Gyllenhaal) are stock types and lack any kind of humor or energy to keep the audience caring whether they solve their individual problems. I give this bullshitter a D-- in my book, and the only reason it isnt an "F" is because I need to have something worse in my arsenal.
TARA
Oh Will Ferrell, you’ve fallen so far.
The first fifteen minutes are absolutely worth your time. I recommend a prolonged visit to the restroom for the rest of the film. I personally would have preferred to be knitting than watching this film.
The strongest aspect of this movie comes early, as Will Ferrell’s character experiences a supernatural narration of his own life. I think any viewer will appreciate the playful visual graphics and directorial antics that break down ‘the fourth wall’ between viewer and the film. Will Ferrell is haunted by a disembodied narration of his every move, which comes off as both humorous and original.
Unfortunately, the fun ends here, as the movie descends into a lame rehash of other plots (see Adaptation, etc) and a nauseating romantic comedy flavor.
Emma Thomson (cast as the author of Ferrell’s life) needs a new agent. I felt bad for her, since her other films (i.e. Wit) have been pretty good. Queen Latifah, on the other hand, delivers a surprisingly decent performance in an otherwise bland subplot.
Extremely disappointed with the Hollywood ending. Puppies and rainbows make me want to vomit. And the whole movie is way too long . . .someone needed to slash-and-burn significant portions of the script.
I give 1/8 pizza slices to this unimaginative production. The “1” is a generous handout in recognition of the first fifteen minutes, which I liked.
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