Stranger than Fiction (2006 film)

Last updated
Stranger than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction (2006 movie poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Marc Forster
Written by Zach Helm
Produced by Lindsay Doran
Starring
Cinematography Roberto Schaefer
Edited by Matt Chesse
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • November 10, 2006 (2006-11-10)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million [1]
Box office$53.7 million [1]

Stranger than Fiction is a 2006 American fantasy comedy drama film directed by Marc Forster, produced by Lindsay Doran and written by Zach Helm. The film stars Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and Emma Thompson. The main plot follows Harold Crick (Ferrell), an IRS agent who begins hearing a disembodied voice narrating his life as it happens – seemingly the text of a novel in which it is stated that he, the main character, will soon die – and he frantically seeks to somehow prevent his death.

Contents

The film was shot on location in Chicago, and has been praised for its innovative, intelligent story and fine performances. Ferrell, who came to prominence playing brash comedic parts, garnered particular attention for offering a restrained performance in his first starring dramatic role.

Stranger than Fiction was released by Columbia Pictures November 10, 2006. On release, the film received positive reviews mainly for its themes, humor and performances.

Plot

Harold Crick is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent living a solitary life of strictly scheduled routine. On the day he is assigned to audit an intentionally tax-delinquent baker named Ana Pascal, Harold begins hearing the voice of a woman narrating his life. When his wristwatch stops working and he resets it using the time from a bystander, the voice narrates that this action will eventually result in Harold's death.

Harold consults a psychiatrist, who suggests he see a literary expert if he believes there is a narrator. He visits literature professor Jules Hilbert, who initially dismisses him. However, he recognizes omniscient narrative devices in what Harold claims the voice said, and is intrigued. He tries to help Harold identify the author, and determine if his story is a comedy or tragedy.

As Harold audits Ana, he develops an attraction to her, but when he obliviously rejects a gift of cookies because it could be considered a bribe, he takes it as a sign that he is in a tragedy. Jules tells Harold to spend the day at home doing nothing, and his living room is destroyed by a demolition crew that went to the wrong building. Jules takes such an improbable occurrence as proof that Harold is no longer in control of his own life, and advises he enjoy the time he has left, accepting whatever destiny the narrator has for him.

Harold takes time off from work, takes guitar lessons, moves in with his co-worker Dave, and starts dating Ana. Because she loves him, he reevaluates his story as a comedy. While meeting with Jules, Harold sees a television interview with author Karen Eiffel, and recognizes her voice as his narrator's. Jules, an admirer of Karen's work, says that all of her books are tragedies: the protagonist always dies. Karen has been struggling with writer's block on her next book because she cannot figure out how to kill Harold Crick, but has had a breakthrough and has begun writing again.

Harold telephones Karen and stuns her by accurately recounting her book to her. They meet in person, and she explains she has outlined the conclusion, but has not yet typed it in full. Her assistant, Penny, recommends that Harold read the outline, but he cannot bring himself to do so, and gives it to Jules. Jules deems it Karen's masterpiece to which Harold's death is integral, and he consoles Harold that death is inevitable, but this death will hold a deeper meaning.

Harold reads the outline and returns it to Karen, telling her the death she has written for him is beautiful and he accepts it. He takes care of some errands, and spends his last night with Ana. The next morning, Harold goes about his routine again, as Karen writes and narrates.

Karen reveals that when Harold reset his wristwatch, the bystander's time was three minutes fast, so he reached the bus stop early. A boy riding a bicycle falls in front of the bus; Harold runs into the street to save him, and is hit himself. However, Karen, traumatized by the idea that she unwittingly narrated real people to their deaths, cannot bring herself to finish the sentence declaring him dead. She meets Jules and offers him a revised ending.

Harold, heavily injured, wakes up in a hospital, and learns that shrapnel from his wristwatch — which was destroyed in the collision — blocked his ulnar artery and saved him from bleeding to death. Jules thinks this new ending weakens the book. Karen replies that the book was about a man who did not know he was going to die, but if Harold knew and accepted his fate, he is the kind of person who deserves to live. Karen's narration closes the film over a montage of Harold's newly invigorated life, ending on the ruined wristwatch that saved his life.

Cast

Production

Writing

In 2001, writer Zach Helm was working with producer Clarence Helmus on a project they called "The Disassociate". [2] Helm came to Doran with a new idea involving a man who finds himself accompanied by a narrator only he can hear. Helm decided that the narrator should state that the man is going to die, because, as Helm described, "There's something very poetic about the understanding of one's place in the universe, but it's far more dramatic when such understanding occurs only days before that life ends." Helm and Doran began referring to the new project as "The Narrator Project", and developed the story through a process of Helm's ideas and Doran's questions. One of Helm's main ideas involved engaging the movie's form as much as its content. [3]

Helm named each of the film's chief characters after a famous scientist or scientifically influential artist, including Crick, Pascal, Eiffel, Escher and David Hilbert. When the character of Dr. Hilbert tells Harold that he has devised a series of 23 questions to investigate the narrator, it is a playful reference to Hilbert's 23 problems. The film's title derives from a quote by Lord Byron: "Tis strange — but true; for truth is always strange, stranger than fiction." [4]

According to Helm, one of the film's major themes is of interconnectivity. Helm stated, "Each of these characters ends up doing little things to save one another. There's an underlying theme that the things we take most for granted are often the ones that make life worth living and actually keep us alive." [3]

Photography

The film was shot on location in Chicago, Illinois. Dave's apartment, in which Harold takes residence after his own building is partially demolished, is part of the River City Condominiums. [5] Hilbert's office was in a lecture hall at the University of Illinois Chicago. The CNA Center at 333 South Wabash Avenue, in the Loop, served as the location of the IRS office. The bakery that Ana Pascal runs is located in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, and is called La Catedral Cafe & Restaurant. [6] The movie theater in the film is the Logan Theatre, located in the Logan Square neighborhood. [7] Many downtown Chicago locations were used for scenes involving Karen Eiffel, Penny Escher and Harold Crick.

The film partly was inspired by Playtime , Jacques Tati's visionary comedy about modern urban life, and the cinematography and production designs help create a claustrophobic sense of life in the city. [8]

Music

The music for Stranger than Fiction includes original scores by the collaborative effort of Britt Daniel (singer-songwriter of Spoon) and Brian Reitzell (composer for Friday Night Lights , The Bling Ring and Hannibal ), as well as a mix of indie rock songs from various artists, including Spoon. Reitzell is also the film's music supervisor. The soundtrack includes an original recording of "Whole Wide World", the song Harold plays for Ana, by Wreckless Eric. [9]

Release

Stranger than Fiction was released in the United States November 10, 2006. It opened at number 4 at the box office, behind Borat , The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and Flushed Away , and grossed $13.4 million in 2,264 theaters. Its widest release was 2,270 theaters, from which it grossed $40.7 million. Outside the U.S., it grossed another $13 million, for a worldwide total of $53.6 million. [1]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 73% approval rating, based on 177 reviews, with the average rating of 6.87/10. The site's consensus reads: "A fun, whimsical tale about an office drone trying to save his life from his narrator, Stranger Than Fiction features a subdued performance from Will Ferrell that contributes mightily to its quirky, mind-bending effect." [10] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 67 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F. [12]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, stating that the film was thought-provoking and moral, and that "such an uncommonly intelligent film does not often get made...which requires us to enter the lives of these specific quiet, sweet, worthy people". He also praised Ferrell's performance, saying, "Will Ferrell stars, in another role showing that like Steve Martin and Robin Williams he has dramatic gifts to equal his comedic talent." [13]

Rolling Stone rated the film 3 stars out of 4, stating that, although the premise of Ferrell's life being narrated is a set-up for farce, the film is "less self-reflexively clever and more intimate". [14]

Todd McCarthy in Variety reviewed the film positively, praising its invention, and Ferrell's performance as nuanced; first playing a tight focused caricature of the company man, then exercising more humanity and wit without being "goofy". [8]

Accolades

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Comedy by or About Women Marc Forster Nominated [15]
[16]
Best Actress in a Comedic Performance Emma Thompson Nominated
Critics' Choice Awards Best Supporting Actress Nominated [17]
Best Writer Zach Helm Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Will Ferrell Nominated [18]
Hollywood Film Awards Casting Director of the YearFrancine Maisler (Also for Babel and Miami Vice )Won [19]
London Film Critics Circle Awards British Supporting Actress of the Year Emma ThompsonNominated [20]
National Board of Review Awards Best Original Screenplay Zach HelmWon [21]
PEN America Literary Awards Best ScreenplayWon
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated [22]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Will FerrellNominated
Saturn Awards Best Fantasy Film Nominated [23]
Best Actor Will FerrellNominated
Best Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Emma ThompsonNominated
Best Writing Zach HelmNominated
Utah Film Critics Association AwardsBest Supporting ActressMaggie GyllenhaalNominated [24]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Original Screenplay Zach HelmNominated [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Pulp Fiction</i> 1994 crime film by Quentin Tarantino

Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary. It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence in Los Angeles, California. The film stars John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman. The title refers to the pulp magazines and hardboiled crime novels popular during the mid-20th century, known for their graphic violence and punchy dialogue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Palahniuk</span> American novelist (born 1962)

Charles Michael "Chuck" Palahniuk is an American novelist who describes his work as transgressional fiction. He has published 19 novels, three nonfiction books, two graphic novels, and two adult coloring books, as well as several short stories. His first published novel was Fight Club, which was adapted into a film of the same title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Ferrell</span> American actor, comedian, and producer (born 1967)

John William Ferrell is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Ferrell is known for his leading man roles in comedy films and for his work as a television producer. He has earned four Emmy Awards and in 2011 was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2015, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was named the best comedian in British GQ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronson Pinchot</span> American actor

Bronson Alcott Pinchot is an American actor. He is best known for playing Balki Bartokomous on the ABC sitcom Perfect Strangers (1986–1993). He also performed in films, such as Risky Business (1983), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), After Hours (1985), True Romance (1993), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Stephen King's The Langoliers (1995), It's My Party (1996), Courage Under Fire (1996) and The First Wives Club (1996), and in television series, such as Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Meego and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. In 2012, he starred in his own reality series, The Bronson Pinchot Project on the DIY Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Hunt</span> American actress

Lydia Susanna "Linda" Hunt is an American actress of stage and screen.

<i>Dubliners</i> 1914 short story collection by James Joyce

Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. It presents a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Helms</span> American actor and comedian (born 1974)

Edward Parker Helms is an American actor and comedian. From 2002 to 2006, he was a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He played paper salesman Andy Bernard in the NBC sitcom The Office (2006–2013), and starred as Stuart Price in The Hangover trilogy. He later starred in the comedy series Rutherford Falls (2021–2022), which he co-wrote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Forster</span> German-Swiss filmmaker

Marc Forster is a German and Swiss film director, writer, and producer. He is best known for directing the feature films Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, Quantum of Solace, World War Z, and Christopher Robin, and has directed numerous television commercials as well. He is a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Independent Spirit Award nominee.

<i>Sarah, Plain and Tall</i> 1985 book by Patricia MacLachlan

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award. It explores themes of loneliness, abandonment, and coping with change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Theroux</span> American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter

Justin Paul Theroux is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained recognition for his work with director David Lynch in the mystery film Mulholland Drive (2001) and the horror film Inland Empire (2006). He also appeared in films such as Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997), American Psycho (2000), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Strangers with Candy (2005), Miami Vice (2006), Wanderlust (2012), The Girl on the Train (2016), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), On the Basis of Sex (2018) the voice of Dropkick in Bumblebee (2018), and Lady and the Tramp (2019).

<i>Chimera</i> (Barth novel) 1972 novel by John Barth

Chimera is a 1972 fantasy novel written by American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are Dunyazadiad, Perseid and Bellerophoniad, whose titles refer eponymously to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon. The book is an example of postmodernism, which can be seen in its metafictional content and its incorporation of stylistic elements that go beyond the traditional novel genre. It shared the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with Augustus by John Edward Williams.

Zach Helm is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He's known for his work on the films Stranger than Fiction (2006) and Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007), as well as the stage play Good Canary and its 2009 screen adaptation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Copley</span> British actor

Paul Mackriell Copley is an English actor. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of Downton Abbey, and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street as Arthur Medwin.

<i>Waterland</i> (film) 1992 film

Waterland is a 1992 British mystery drama film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal and starring Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack, Ethan Hawke and John Heard. It is based on Graham Swift's 1983 novel of the same name.

<i>Stranger than Fiction</i> (soundtrack) 2006 soundtrack album by various artists

Stranger than Fiction is the soundtrack to the 2006 fantasy comedy-drama film Stranger than Fiction, directed by Marc Forster and written by Zach Helm.

"Always" is a science fiction short story by American writer Karen Joy Fowler. Originally published in Asimov's Science Fiction, it won the 2007 Nebula Award for Best Short Story.

Ronald Norman Haddrick was an Australian actor, narrator and South Australian cricketer. In 2012, he received the Actors Equity Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and distinguished career in media, spanning some seventy years both locally and also in Britain. He appeared in many Shakespearean roles and often performed with theatre actress Ruth Cracknell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Black</span> Australian actress

Claudia Lee Black is an Australian actress, best known for her portrayals of Aeryn Sun in Farscape, Vala Mal Doran in Stargate SG-1 and Sharon "Shazza" Montgomery in the film Pitch Black. She has had prominent roles in video games, such as Chloe Frazer in Uncharted, Morrigan in Dragon Age, Admiral Daro'Xen and Matriarch Aethyta in Mass Effect and Tess Everis in Destiny and Samantha Byrne in Gears of War 3, Gears of War 4, and Gears 5. She also had a recurring role as Dahlia in The Originals and starred as Dr. Sabine Lommers in TV series Containment.

<i>Wolf 359</i> (podcast) Science fiction podcast

Wolf 359 is a science fiction podcast created by Gabriel Urbina and produced by Gabriel Urbina and Zach Valenti under Kinda Evil Genius Productions. Following in the tradition of Golden Age radio dramas, Wolf 359 tells the story of a dysfunctional space station crew orbiting the star Wolf 359 on a deep space survey mission. The show starts off as lighthearted comedy that focuses on character dynamics before becoming more of a thriller. After 61 episodes, the show concluded on December 25, 2017.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Stranger Than Fiction (2006) – Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ Lindsey Doran, "Words on a Page" bonus featurette on DVD
  3. 1 2 SONY Pictures Entertainment (2006). "Stranger than Fiction: Production Notes", document archived at WebCite July 6, 2008 based on the version posted at this original URL.
  4. ↑ 1823, Don Juan: Cantos XIII, XIII, and XIV, George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron), Canto 14, Stanza 101, Quote Page 165, Printed for John Hunt, London.
  5. ↑ IMDB: Filming locations for – Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
  6. ↑ La Catedral Cafe & Restaurant
  7. ↑ "The Logan Theatre". Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2012-07-12.
  8. 1 2 McCarthy, T. Stranger Than Fiction Variety, September 12, 2006; retrieved February 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (December 1, 2006). "The story behind '"Whole Wide World'"". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "Stranger Than Fiction". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Stranger Than Fiction". Metacritic . Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Home". CinemaScore . Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  13. ↑ "Stranger Than Fiction movie review (2006)". Roger Ebert. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Stranger Than Fiction Review". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  15. ↑ "2006 EDA Awards Nominees Announced". AWJF.org. Retrieved December 10, 2006.
  16. ↑ "AWFJ Announces 2006 EDA Awards Winners". AWJF.org. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
  17. ↑ "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 2006". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Stranger than Fiction – Golden Globes". HFPA . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Craft winners announced for 2006 Hollywood Film Awards". ScreenDaily.com . Retrieved August 6, 2006.
  20. ↑ "London critics give seven nominations to The Queen". ScreenDaily.com.
  21. ↑ "2006 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ "2006 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards . Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Past Saturn Awards". Saturn Awards.org. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
  24. ↑ "2006 Utah Film Critics Association Awards". Utah Film Critics Association. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on 2012-12-05. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.