Great comments from two readers: (click here for the beginning of the discussion)

#1

“Eiffel falls back on a ‘deus ex machina’ (which is considered a very cheap and poor way to resolve the tensions of her novel.)

I was very amused by this, since it effectively kills her brilliant novel. Something had to die, and the author chose to take it on the chin by killing her masterpiece. It is a cute turn, since ‘Stranger than Fiction’ is a tasty little treat, (like a fine cookie.)

The film is fun and eminently charming. I walked out feeling like my emotions had a lovely ride. Thompson plays Eiffel perfectly. She has the sense of the angst-ridden writer down, (and pushes the stereotype just to the edge of credibility.) Sacrifice, awakening, and heroism are the touchstones of this film. (If you don’t enjoy this one, you should check your pulse.)”

#2

“I found a deeply Christian ethic in this film, exemplified by Crick’s ultimate acceptance of his fate for the greater good; and in what he does to save the young boy’s life near the film’s end. There’s even a line, uttered by Thompson’s character, I think, about how the kind of person who knows they are going to die and does it willingly because it is the right think to do is the kind of person you want to keep alive.

Could there be some meditation in this story on the idea of predestination vs. freewill? I think so. In any case, Stranger Than Fiction is a terrific, thought-provoking and uplifting film. Would that Hollywood would give us more of this and less of their usual fare: uninspired, obnoxious, cookie-cutter genre movies.”

All of this goes to show that I am clearly not smart enough nor perceptive enough to be writing much about movies!