This film is about a repressed IRS agent, played by Will Ferrell, who discovers he is also a fictional character in a book being written by a famous novelist, played by Emma Thompson. As the story progresses Ferrell's character meets a sexy baker, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, who he must audit but who he also falls in love with, all the while listening to the voice of the famous author as she writes her book about a repressed IRS agent. When not trying to break out of his shell so that he can tell the baker how he feels, he struggles with the voice and he decides to get help for it. He turns to a literature professor, played by Dustin Hoffman, to help him find out who the author is and their search goes into over drive when Ferrell's character hear the author say that he was going to die.
That's what the movie is about on it's most basic level. But what the movie really is about is compassion and how much we all need to be compassionate to one another. Ferrell's character learns to be compassionate towards the baker and they end up in love. The baker learns to be compassionate towards the man she perceives as her enemy. Ferrell learns to be compassionate and accept the death that the author has planned for him because he knows it will result in his saving a child's life before he dies. And finally the author learns to be compassionate when she decides to spare the IRS agent's life because he learned how to open up, connect with others, and love people. Ferrell is great in this because he is so restrained in his performance. He doesn't get all "hey look at me bein' a funny guy" on us and it works. Gyllenhaal is fabulous as well, although we got say that we did not dig her big ass tattoo, we're not into tats. Emma Thompson is wonderful as the author with writers block. Queen Latifah, Tom Hulce and the guy who played the youngest Bluth sibling on Arrested Development did damn fine jobs in this film as well. Oh crap, so did Dustin Hoffman, sorry we almost forget to mention you.
The movie is worth renting, buying, or just seeing over again. The special features on the DVD rock as well. Of course the only thing that would have made this a better film would have been is one of the main characters had been sportin' a mullet.
We highly recommend you see this film. We loved it.
So say us! So say we all!!!
6 comments:
Yeah, this one is worth seeing, though I myself have been living mullet free for over thirty years now. A little treat for us math types is that every character who has a last name in the movie has the last name of a mathematician or scientist.
Glad you reviewed this because the trailer makes it look really bad.
I'll check it out and hold you accountable if I don't like it.
Just kidding.
Matty Boy-I did not know that. I will look for that next time I watch it. Oh yes I'll see it again because I bought it for my gf as a b day present.
Station Agent-I fear you not because I know you will like this movie.
I LOVE THIS MOVIE AND EMMA THOMPSON IS GOD. :D
I really enjoyed this movie and think maybe it didn't get much love from critics and initial viewers for it's upbeat ending. Personally I think it took more creative courage to let him live.
And I always think one of those mulleters is Robert Carradine!
LOVED this movie. but your post made me think about it even deeper. excellent review!
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