Stranger Than Fiction

Chris took me to see 'Stranger Than Fiction' at the Odeon, Leicester Square as part of the London film festival. I didn't know anything about it other than Emma Thompson was in it. I had no idea what to expect and even kept forgetting the title. I ought to trust Chris by now but he made me sit through 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' with little dialogue and too many quivering lips so there's always that element of doubt...

'Stranger Than Fiction' is excellent - go and see it when it opens in December. It's funny and sad, a love story without any cloying sentimentality, a rebellion, courageous and daring to be a little bit different - to explain this would give away the ending which I can't do.

There wasn't a duff performance in it and all the main characters are eminently likeable and 'real'. They worked together really well. You expect Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman to turn in good performaces but Queen Latifah was an eye-opener - not that I'm surprised that she was good but because she was the calmness around Emma's neurotic character with writers block that helped frame their scenes together and they played off against each other brilliantly.

And what a great soundtrack - Wreckless Eric ('Whole Wide World') and The Jam ('That's Entertainment') and an instrumental version of Maximo Park's 'Going Missing' was a perfect way to leave the film. I will need the soundtrack album when it's released.

The only downside was that it was shown with subtitles and I *hate* reading films! I must see it again when it goes on general release.