Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Director: Marc Forster
Format: Blu-Ray
Disk Features: ??? (please submit)
Starring: Will Farrell, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Late in the 1990’s there was a movie called The Truman Show. The movie was based on a number of ideas from different books. One book was Time Out of Joint by Philip K. Dick. Laugh all you want at the name, but the man is a fantastic author. Regardless, the basic premise breaks down like this: main character is living in an artificially constructed world, oblivious of the outside. One day, the cracks in the walls begin to appear and the illusion falls apart. Well, Stranger Than Fiction has a touch of the same idea.

Harold Crick (Farrell) is a middle aged auditor for the IRS. He leads a very calculated lifestyle, brushing the same amount of strokes each morning and walking the same speed to the bus stop at precisely the same time. Aside from being very mathematical, Crick is also very lonely. As you might imagine, IRS auditors aren’t very popular. One day, however, a wrench is thrown into the clockwork of his life, in the form of a mysterious voice, narrating his every action. It becomes particularly disturbing to Crick when he hears it predict his eminent demise.

After becoming dissatisfied with professional psychiatrists, he decides to seek the aid of a literature professor. Professor Jules Hilbert (Hoffmann) analyzes his predicament and tries to help him determine what type of story he might be in. Meanwhile, Harold falls in love with Ana Pascal (Gyllenhaal), the owner of the local bakery whom he’s auditing. It seems that learning he’s going to die has given him a new outlook on life. At the same time, author Karen Eiffel (Thompson) is in the depths of an alcoholic despair, attempting to find a way to kill off the main character in her new book, little realizing that her Harold Crick is a living man.

There were two computer aided effects in Stranger Than Fiction that I was quite fond of. During Crick’s introduction, lines and graphs and diagrams appear over the scene to enhance the description of the calculations in his life. I thought that they were a clever touch, without being terribly intrusive. The other effect was Crick’s wristwatch, which is a character unto itself and figures strongly into the plot. The little clockwork has an adorable personality, but isn’t annoying or overdone.

Although Will Farrell has been very prolific as of late, starring in movies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights, his brand of humor has never appealed to me. His characters are usually well meaning morons. In Stranger Than Fiction, that aspect of his character isn’t as pronounced and I found it more bearable that way. With the semi-seriousness of the plot and the balance of the other great actors, it wasn’t hard to enjoy Farrell at all. Emma Thompson is stellar, as usual. I love her morbidly fascinated alcoholic author role and also enjoyed Queen Latifah as her assistant, Penny Escher. Hoffman didn’t disappoint either, although this type of role for him is getting a little tiresome.

Not nearly as depressing as I was led to believe (I’m looking at you Seanchez), Stranger Than Fiction was a solidly enjoyable film. It’s humor is much more subtle than movies like Old School and yet it isn’t so dramatic as to sink your mood. Think quiet evening at home with a bowl of popcorn.

Overall Rating: 3 ½
Hottie Rating: 3 (for Maggie Gyllenhaal – hello Secretary!)

Alternate Viewing: Punch Drunk Love
Official Site
IMDB Site
James Berardinelli review

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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Director: Adam McKay
Format: Blu-Ray
Special Features: interviews, gag reel, deleted and extended scenes, mock commercials, mock public service announcements, bonus race footage, etc.
Starring: Will Farrell, John C. Reilly, Gary Cole, Jane Lynch, Sacha Baron Cohen

I’m picky when it comes to comedy. I always describe myself as a “Marx Brothers” as opposed to a “Three Stooges”. So, when the latest comic trailer whizzes across the screen, I rarely take notice. However, I’ve heard so much about Talladega Nights that I figured it was about time to take the plunge and see what all the hype was about.

Born in the backseat of a speeding muscle car, Ricky Bobby (Farrell) has always had an addiction to acceleration. One day, while working with a Nascar pit crew, Ricky gets his big break. After the team’s apathetic driver stops in the middle of a race to get a bite to eat, Ricky is chosen to take the wheel and pulls off an amazing finish. From that point on, his career skyrockets. Soon, he finds himself with a gold-digging wife, two kids, a mansion and an inflated ego. But, the team’s manager has it in for Ricky and hires a new driver from France to compete. Jean Girard (Cohen) is not only French, but sharply dressed, suave and gay. After Bobby’s first loss to the newcomer, his life quickly races downhill. But nothing can keep Ricky Bobby down for long because, “If you’re not first, you’re last.”

The cinematography in Talladega Nights is not the first thing about the movie that most people would examine. However, there are some terrific shots in the film. One in particular that caught my attention was a smooth shot following a speeding racecar, moving in through the rear window, through the car and out through the windshield to face the front of the vehicle. Computer aided or otherwise, it was cleverly executed.

Will Ferrell has never been one of my favorite actors, however prolific he has been lately. I am starting to appreciate that he’s a better actor than I first believed though. Ricky Bobby was a definite improvement over Anchorman. There are a few subtleties in his acting style that are the key to his success as a comedic talent and if you’re not paying attention, they’re easy to miss. The character’s sidekick, Cal Naughton, Jr. (Reilly) is a great foil for Ferrell. No matter how dumb Ricky Bobby seems, Naughton is always one step behind him. At one point, two become rivals and one scene in which Naughton casually phones Bobby, after stealing his wife, home and career from him, is greatly amusing. While I may have disliked his movie Borat, Sasha Cohen is much more amusing as the French racer, bent on fighting Ricky Bobby to the finish. His accent is completely over the top. Watching him sip espresso and read fine literature behind the wheel gave me a few giggles. But, the funniest scene by far involved Ricky’s father and a cougar had me in stitches. The two Bobby children, Walker (Houston Tumlin) and Texas Ranger (Grayson Russell) are fantastic and Molly Shannon as Mr. Dennit’s alcoholic wife just killed me.

Talladega Nights is clearly a parody of the stereotypical redneck Nascar fan, but doesn’t go so far overboard as to alienate the very people it pokes fun at. While not cramp-in-the-sides hilarious, this movie had a few good laughs and a decent amount of excitement. There is only one point at which the movie lags, but for the most part, the plot moves along at a steady pace. All of the actors do a fine job. I recommend The Ballad of Ricky Bobby as an accompaniment to a pizza, I case of brew and good company.

Overall Rating: 2 ½ stars.
Hottie Rating: 0

Alternate viewing: Swingers
Official site
IMDB site
Salon.com review

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