Stranger Than Fiction

2006
PG-13
1h 53m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

238K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer2:34

Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance

I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to hi... Read allI.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire existence, from his work to his love life to his death.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

238K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

4,139

1,334

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 15 nominations

Trivia
While filming, Will Ferrell wore an earpiece that fed him Dame Emma Thompson's narrative lines, in order to assist the other cast members in reacting more naturally to Ferrell's seemingly non-sequitur lines.

Goofs
Near the beginning, Ms. Eifel dictates "When asked by a co-worker for the product of 67 and 453, Harold drew a blank. He quickly answered 30,351 despite the answer really being 31,305." The product of 67 and 453 actually is 30,351. This was meant to get viewers to question who was dictating Harold's life, the narrator or Harold himself. It wouldn't be a coincidence that the "incorrect" number given by Harold would in fact be the correct answer.

Quotes
Professor Jules Hilbert: No, why did you change the book?
Kay Eiffel: Lots of reasons. I realized I just couldn't do it.
Professor Jules Hilbert: Because he's real?
Kay Eiffel: Because it's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die and then dies. But if the man does know he's going to die and dies anyway, dies willingly, knowing he could stop it, then... I mean, isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?

Crazy credits
During the end credits, the names of the characters and the actors who played them were displayed against stylized images of the places where the characters worked.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Babel/Catch a Fire/Running with Scissors/Death of a President/The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (2006)

Soundtracks
The Way We Get By
Written by Britt Daniel
Performed by Spoon
Courtesy of Merge Records
By arrangement with Bank Robber Music

User reviews629

Review

Featured review

8/10

What if your life really WAS a book?

Fantasy movie, a la "Groundhog Day" where a man, Harold Crick in this case, finds he has no control over his life....which leads to him really appreciate his life. Although the premise is clearly fantasy, the concept is intriguing and compelling.

Cast is terrific; those who usually over-act, e.g. Dustin Hoffman and Will Ferrell, play it lower-keyed and believable. Emma Thompson, Queen Latifah and Maggie Gyllenhall (and Tom Hulce, almost unrecognizable in a single scene)round out the excellent cast .

A feel-good movie, mostly comedy but with some tragic undertones.

Close to two hours but you won't be looking at your watch very often.