Stranger Than Fiction

"Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period."

2006 1h 53m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🍅

73%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.5

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 2,645🍅73%Rotten Tomatoes●67Metacritic★7.5IMDB · 243,394

DramaComedyRomanceFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Harold Crick is a lonely IRS agent whose mundane existence is transformed when he hears a mysterious voice narrating his life.

“Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Will Ferrell
Harold Crick
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Ana Pascal
Dustin Hoffman
Professor Jules Hilbert
Emma Thompson
Karen Eiffel
Queen Latifah
Penny Escher
Tony Hale
Dave
Tom Hulce
Dr. Cayly
Linda Hunt
Dr. Mittag-Leffler

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Marc Forster
Writers: Zach Helm
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Marc Forster, shot by Roberto Schaefer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Brian Reitzell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Matt Chessé shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0420223 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Marc Forster directs. Roberto Schaefer behind the camera. Brian Reitzell scores. Matt Chessé cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 20 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Marc Forster, shot by Roberto Schaefer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Brian Reitzell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Matt Chessé shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Harold Crick isn't ready to go. Period.".
8IMDB entry: tt0420223 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 17 themes, including "literature", "professor", "writer's block", "love".
10Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Roberto Schaefer
Original score: Brian Reitzell
Editing: Matt Chessé
Production design: Kevin Thompson
Costume design: Frank L. Fleming
Makeup / hair: Lisa Layman
Sound: Scott Millan
Stunt coordinator: Rick LeFevour
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $53,653,224
Return: 179% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
Rotten Tomatoes: 73% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 67/100
IMDB rating: 7.5/10 · 243,394 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

3 wins & 15 nominations total

Also by

Marc Forster

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2016-10-17
★ 6/10
A fresh idea that, however, becomes a bit of a boring movie. The best part is the good performances by the cast. Specially surprising is Ferrell.
GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
I am one of those people that normally hate Will Ferrell, especially in a leading role. I find him obnoxious, and over-the-top to the point where he is pandering for laughs form the LCD than actually attempting to be funny. However, there is always an exception to the rule. Usually that exception comes in the form of a supporting role... as in Old School... but here it comes in the form of a leading role. It seems like Marc Forster really reigned him in on the one and the pay off was AMAZING. It's seriously a funny and quirky film. It's hysterical and kind of plays to an audience that wonders if writer's creations can come to life. It's an imaginative script and plays to the people that feel, maybe, a little guilty for leaving a book over night when the characters are left in a bad position just in case they are real and might get stuck there. It appeals to anyone that has ever wrote fiction, and felt like a God because of the control they had over their characters... and it does so in the most ridiculous way possible.