You know those brown dots scattered randomly throughout movies you watch at the cinema these days? Those deliberately added "watermarks", unique to each film print, used by the MPAA to track which cinema a pirated (handycamed) DVD was filmed at?

If you don't, I'm sorry I mentioned them, because they're like ants. Once you see them, you can't un-see them. Suddenly they're everywhere.

The effects in Stranger Than Fiction are as pointless, tacked on and irritating as those dots. Thankfully, they reasonably well integrated into the film and fairly easy to ignore. They could be removed and it wouldn't change the film.

Stranger Than Fiction is great story telling. It's a piece of sugary sap which on paper must have looked like it was stolen from the 50s, an Audrey Hepburn love story with an edge of wackiness to keep everyone from going to sleep.

And yet this particular meal of sap worked for me.

It could only have been the acting and direction which saved it. All actors were perfectly placed. Directed by Marc Forster. I see he directed Finding Neverland which doesn't surprise me. This is a much better film but they felt similar in direction.

Despite what the trailer might tell you, don't place it in the same genre as something like Click, Bruce Almighty or Liar Liar.

Think more... It's a Wonderful Life.

Recommended for a smile.