Stranger than Fiction


Dir: Eric Bross
Star: Mackenzie Astin, Todd Field, Dina Meyer, Natasha Gregson Wagner

A largely unknown cast, save for Meyer, pull out two-thirds of a movie, before imploding spectacularly into a wholly inadequate ending. This is a shame, as it all works very nicely up to then: four friends team up to dispose of an unwanted corpse that threatens to wreck one of their careers, only to find things rapidly spiral out of control. Or not, since the last reel reveals that nothing is what it seems. And this is the problem, because "what it seems" is actually rather more entertaining and plausible than what it actually is. Of the four, credit in particular to Wagner, who looks like Meg & Jennifer Tilly's long-lost sister, and acts almost as well too -- it may be significant that she has nothing to do with the lame climax, and it certainly improves her mark for this picture. Even in the first three-quarters, there are enough twists, turns and dead bodies to keep you occupied, although Shallow Grave is an obvious influence. But, to maximise your cinematic pleasure, I strongly recommend turning off once the "obvious" plot is resolved.

C+


Fiction factory
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