Stranger than Fiction

[mmaestro]

Had a good weekend. Bethany and I are now left wondering, however, whether there shouldn't be another accepted genre of movies out there. Because we went to see Stranger than Fiction on Saturday night. It's an odd movie. Will Ferrell plays a man who starts hearing a voice narrating his life, and begins to realise that he's a character in a novel.

Comments

other movies that belong in that bracket

[sparkofcreation]

Eternal Sunshine..., Pleasantville, Sliding Doors, Twice Upon a Yesterday...

And books: Sophie's World, The Years of Rice and Salt, Somewhere in Time...

Now, someone help us come up with a name for the genre!

Re: other movies that belong in that bracket

[itchyfidget]

Dramedy? Comerama?

Re: other movies that belong in that bracket

[sparkofcreation]

I've heard "dramedy" used before, but to me there's also the requirement (which Gareth might not share) that there be an element of magical realism/alternate reality. Maybe we should call it "magical realism" and be done with it, but to me the term is inextricably linked to mid-to-late-20th-century Latin America.

[sholeh]

Ok so you know the college campus that Will goes to seek the Professor's help?

Totally my school. I was on campus while they shot those scenes, it was weird to see my school in a movie (especially since the campus is so utterly depressing). They totally converted a classroom into his office...none of the rooms in that building are actually offices...and the professors actually have MUCH smaller offices, if you can believe it. :-)

I agree with you on the genre.

[mmaestro]

That's pretty neat. I agree (although it doesn't really come through unless you think about it in the movie) that the campus looked pretty soul-sucking.

[itchyfidget]

Thanks for writing about this - I may seek it out, which I wouldn't have done otherwise. Spanglish was a terrific recommendation from you guys so I'll be interested to see how this stands up alongside it (evidently not quite as well).

Speaking of movies that are missing something, I should write a mini-review of The Break-Up.

[sparkofcreation]

Spanglish was a slightly better movie with a less interesting premise. The acting in both was superb, although I agree with some reviews that Will Ferrell was totally the weak link (but only slightly so).

[mmaestro]

No, you don't, as proven by the movie. Still, I think we're conditioned to think that that sort of movie has to have a deep metaphysical point, so it's somewhat odd to see a film that bucks that trend.