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Stranger Than Fiction

Play trailer Poster for Stranger Than Fiction PG-13 Released Nov 10, 2006 1h 45m Comedy Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 176 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
A mentally unstable IRS auditor (Will Ferrell) hears an author's (Emma Thompson) voice in his head and discovers that he is the ill-fated protagonist of her latest work. While a book-company employee (Queen Latifah) tries to cure the author's case of writer's block, the auditor and a professor (Dustin Hoffman) set out to find the woman and make her change her story.
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Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger Than Fiction

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Critics Consensus

A fun, whimsical tale about an office drone trying to save his life from his narrator, Stranger Than Fiction features a subdued performances from Will Ferrell that contributes mightily to its quirky, mind-bending affect.

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Critics Reviews

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Anthony Lane The New Yorker The ending may be mush, but the rest has surprising bite. Jun 5, 2023 Full Review Deborah Ross The Spectator There just isn't enough wit or style or verve to pull it off. It takes a great premise and then not only fails to run with it, but also fails to go absolutely anywhere with it at all. Aug 22, 2018 Full Review Brian Tallerico UGO Stranger Than Fiction never rises above its eye-catching premise, ending up as nothing more than a great idea with absolutely nowhere to go. Mar 24, 2007 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand There’s more than a touch of Charlie Kaufman absurdity to Zach Helm’s screenplay but it’s warmer and less caustic in the way it uses fantasy to plumb human emotions and examines the nature of storytelling. Apr 26, 2025 Full Review Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News Helm's strong script is aided by superb direction from Marc Forster and a top-notch cast. Nov 20, 2019 Full Review Kaleem Aftab The List The manic spirit of Preston Sturges has a hold of this voyage of self-discovery that's packed with laughs and brilliant performances. Thompson in particular hasn't been this inspired for a long time. Rated: 4/5 Nov 3, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Gail S I really enjoyed this movie. I haphazardly stumbled upon it today and it was great. Where was in 2006, to miss this touching, dramatic and funny movie??? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/25/25 Full Review Dave K For an unpredictable movie it was rather predictable. The actors and acting were very good. It must have played well in the theatres and for the fans. Of course you had to look past the stupid plot. Maybe in the US there are enough crack heads and dreamers to think the plot could happen. After all 1/3rd of the Us is either high on something or on prescription drugs. So I can see the irrational hype on RT. Should have been more like 30 for the critics and 60 for the fans. Fans are going to over look the plot and critics are afraid to declare this one stupid. I rate movies on if I would ever watch it again. No, I am more than done with this bird poop. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/14/25 Full Review Ben L A great Movie! Classic! OMG Will, Maggie! Whole Wide World. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/02/25 Full Review Melissa M Every comedian does a thinker movie. A movie that's deep and really makes you think about things in a psychological way. Or has a deep meaningful plot. That makes you examine life in somewhat comical way. This movie is definitely one of them. In the film the character of Harold is a creature of habit. throughout the film he's getting the funny feeling that his life is being narrated. All of a sudden one day his watch stops and he realizes it's time to reexamine his life. He is told by the narrator that his death is imminent. The storyline is highly imaginative. It's good to see that Hollywood has somewhat of an imagination still. Will ferrell, Dustin hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, & Dana Owens are in the movie. It's a very eclectic cast. For a very eclectic movie. It's surprisingly good. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/25 Full Review Audience Member Loved it. It’s nothing particularly amazing but with so many films recycling the same hashed out plots over and over, Stranger Than Fiction gets 5 stars for it’s originality and non-formulaic plot. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/15/25 Full Review Diana H LOVED. Will watch again. Well-written and directed. The cast - oh my greatness. All wonderful. Loved the bits of business from Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman. I was surprised to see some negative reviews above. It's hard to grasp that some professional critics just didn't (grasp it). Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Stranger Than Fiction

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Stranger Than Fiction

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Movie Info

Synopsis A mentally unstable IRS auditor (Will Ferrell) hears an author's (Emma Thompson) voice in his head and discovers that he is the ill-fated protagonist of her latest work. While a book-company employee (Queen Latifah) tries to cure the author's case of writer's block, the auditor and a professor (Dustin Hoffman) set out to find the woman and make her change her story.
Director
Marc Forster
Producer
Lindsay Doran
Screenwriter
Zach Helm
Distributor
Sony Pictures
Production Co
Columbia, Mandate Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Nudity|Brief Language|Sexuality|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre
Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 10, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$40.1M
Runtime
1h 45m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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