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STRANGER THAN FICTION, Dir Marc Forster, 2006

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Billed as a comedy, but a bit of a black one, this film is quirky and interesting. Emma Thompson is the writer who is controlling Will Ferrell's destiny by what she writes, and he has to race to reach her and persuade her to stop writing his death as the climax. For a tragedy, he has to die of course, but this is a comedy. Will Ferrell remains deadpan throughout, only breaking into a slight smile once or twice. It's fun as a writer's film, playing with the idea of storylines and outcomes, and Dustin Hoffman plays the Professor of English who helps to clarify the plot devices and explain how Emma Thompson's narrator is pulling the strings. Described as a playful and eccentric postmodern movie, it is thoroughly enjoyable to people who love story, or have studied English; we can congratulate ourselves on recognising familiar themes, but will it please a wider audience? Maybe there are enough English students out there. It's a clever plot, and well done.
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