Stranger Than Fiction
MOVIE
Will Ferrell successfully plays a character who is not over-the-top in Stranger Than Fiction.
Ferrell plays Harold Crick, an IRS worker so boring that he counts toothbrush strokes and steps to the bus. Harold suddenly starts to hear a voice that seems to narrate his life and which has a "much better vocabulary" than Harold hmself. Harold soon learns to ignore the voice and even falls for a baker he's auditing (Maggie Gyllenhaal). But when the voice says that Harold is facing
Stranger Than Fiction features a great ensemble cast, including Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah, but the real star is the premise.
"imminent death," he finds that just as he starts to live it up, he may have to give it up.
This movie has been compared to Adaptation, but Fiction is much lighter and optimistic than anything Kaufman has written. However, it's just as enjoyable. In fact, the most refreshing thing about this movie, besides
delivering what's promised by the trailer, is the idea of a cast working together for the good of a film rather than for star status.
It's a brilliant and hilarious debut from screenwriter Zach Helm, who brings back theatrical whimsy from days past and gives us pretty much everything we go to the movies for.
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 117 minutes
★★★★
Jared Duncan
Babel
MOVIE
The dramatic film Babel focuses on the human connection each of us share across the globe, told through one day in the lives of four groups of people across Japan, Mexico and Morocco.
A gray-haired Brad Pitt and stoic looking Cate Blanchett are the film's title characters and the supporting cast of unknowns easily matches their talent. Pitt and Blanchett play a married couple going through a rocky patch in a marriage filled with misunderstandings. Both travel to Morocco to try and clear their heads from a family crisis, and after a violent accident occurs, each must deal with their inner demons.
The second narrative deals with the couple's Mexican maid and their two young children, as they all cross the Mexican border for a wedding. What later ensues changes everything for the woman and throws the children in the middle of a culture clash.
The third narrative follows a Moroccan family as two young sons practice shooting a rifle with dire consequences for their family.The aftermath of their petty rivalry displays the incompetence of government relations and the empathy that unites people.
The final narrative is about a Japanese teen with deafness, who must deal with the death of her mother, while living in a silent world.
Such diverse characters and cultures
captured vividly are refreshing to see.The film beautifully shows the humanity and fragility in all of us and the mistakes that we must pay for. Despite dragging a bit in places, this is a violent but empathetic portrayal of the human condition with excellent performances throughout.
Rated: R
Running Time: 140 minutes
★★★★
Sarah Tucker
ALL RATINGS ARE OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE STARS. ★★★★☆
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