Friday, November 8, 2013

Favorite Scene Friday! Stranger than Fiction: "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World"

Is anyone else guilty of forgetting about Stranger than Fiction? I think I've only seen it all the way through once. But it's an undeniably solid film with an interesting story and great performances by Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emma Thompson. It was one of Ferrell's first "Hey look at me I'm trying to act here," roles.



At its core, the film is about the relationship between Will Ferrell's Harold Crick and Maggie Gyllenhaal's Ana Pascal. The two start out as anything but friends (Harold works for the IRS and is auditing Ana) but they eventually fall for each other. Today's scene shows the moment that happens.

Ana has just cooked for Harold and the two have finished the meal. Ana starts to clean up in the kitchen while Harold wanders over to her guitar and, despite declining Ana's requests to do so, begins to play the one song he knows - "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" by Wreckless Eric. What happens next is fun and, dare I say it, pretty sexy. Let's watch:



I love right around 2:00 where you can tell Ana is really getting into Harold and she starts mouthing along with the song. And then at 2:30 where Harold notices that she’s watching him. When they finally kiss it seems as if they’re going to break the guitar between their bodies ala Val Kilmer and Lucy Gutteridge in Top Secret.

Top Secret Guitar Crush on Make A Gif
make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

That passionate kiss is what makes this scene so great. Well, that and the buildup to it. The scene starts so mundane - Gyllenhaal is washing dishes and Ferrell is just wandering around the living room - but culminates in a great song and a kiss worthy of The Princess Bride. I guess that's the point of the film...don't be mundane, be passionate! Anyways, enjoy your Friday and your weekend. Learn the guitar! Be passionate! At the very least, watch Stranger than Fiction again.

8 comments:

  1. I love Stranger than Fiction (probably more than most people). I really connected with it and this scene was really the moment in the film that went from amusement to adoration. The song is so cool and when you can see her realizations across Maggie G's face and then the kiss... It's a very "aw" moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess,

      This is definitely one of the movie's best scenes. It's very "movie" if that means anything. I do love Maggie's reactions and the kiss is pretty awesome. I don't know why but I've really been wanting to watch it again recently. My only option was to buy it on Amazon Instant for $10 so I haven't caught it again yet. :(

      Thanks for reading!

      Delete
  2. Great write-up. I agree, this is the best scene in a somewhat forgettable film. Nothing wrong with the movie as a whole, but it's one I don't often think about, you know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex,

      I agree, best scene. They had pretty good chemistry. I think I'm somewhere in between you and Jess on this flick. I haven't seen it since my initial viewing years ago and hadn't thought much about it but I've really been wanting to catch it again lately. Thanks for reading and commenting!

      Delete
  3. I absolutely love this film, though bizarrely I often forget this scene, which I must admit now is actually a very good one. I think I focus more on the concept of the story, and how great Emma Thompson is in it. For me, this is the perfect blend for both movie and book nerds like myself. Great choice, Robert.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jay,

      I don't blame you, the film does have a great concept. I'm surprised it hasn't been done more. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. This blogs are something that I like to read.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think you are great writing this, many people probably think the same way.
    https://tripinvest.com/spain/semi-detached-houses-for-sale

    ReplyDelete