Stranger Than Fiction

[El Dingo]

I guess I'm getting old.

This is another 'quirky' love story about a boring man (Will 'Quirky' Ferrell) who hears his life being narrated by a mysterious female voice.

Dustin Hoffman plays a quirky literary professor, Linda Hunt plays a quirky psychiatrist, Emma Thompson plays a quirky writer, Queen Latifah isn't so quirky as the writer's assistant.

Anyway if you liked 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' or 'I heart Huckabees' then you'll probably like this.

I'm thinking this trend should have began and ended wiith 'Being John Malkovich' (although 'Adaptation' was pretty nifty).

Whatever, it was a free screening.

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Damming with faint praise, I know. I can't even picture ED at this type of movie. Yes, there is a tremendous suspension of belief. Yes, the basis for the love interest is trite to the point of non-existent. But it did try and tell a story for a change and it was quirky.
I especially liked the graphic overlays they used in the first part of the film. It reminded me of Fight Club when Ed Norton is looking around his apartment and it gets overlayed with the IKEA catalogue.
You might save this one for rental.

[The Queen]

This was my kind of story - drama without excessive anger or tension, just a hint of supernatural and gentle humor. I usually only like Will Farrel when he's being interviewed, because then I get to see him without the over-the-top nonsense, probably why I genuinely enjoyed this performance. And I adored Dustin Hoffman. I had SO many teachers like him.