I went in to this movie with no expectations at all to be honest. While I’m not a very big Will Ferrell fan at all, I am however a big fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal so that kind of evened it out.

However, my opinion of Ferrell completely changed after watching this movie. He really owns the screen no matter who is in the scene with him. He really plays Crick with a sense of vulnerability and a tragic nature. It’s such a beautiful performance on his part. The same with Gyllenhaal. Her performance as Ana Pascal alongside Will Ferrell’s character is so underplayed and subtle that they mesh superbly.

Hoffman’s performance as the eccentric Jules Hilbert is a master class in acting. While some people probably would have played eccentricities in a melodramatic or over the top way, he gives the performance such heart that you can’t take your eyes off the screen whenever he appears. It’s the same with Emma Thompson. Her character has such a flawed and sad personality that she plays it beautifully. The only part that was a bit of a let down was Queen Latifah as Penny. She just paled in comparison to the other parts.

The writing is brilliantly done by Zach Helm, who also scripted the movie ‘Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium’ starring Dustin Hoffman. The script has got such emotion and heart that you can’t watch it without being completely drawn in to the characters world. It’s amazing to think that this movie was his debut screenplay. The directing is also second to none and some of the scenes are so beautiful that they bring a tear to the eye.

The picture quality on this release is superb and really add to the movie itself. The scenes outside are so bright really give an artificial feel that adds to the feel of Crick’s mundane life.

The sound quality is adequate but on some of the quieter scenes, it’s a little bit of a strain to hear some of the dialogue.

An absolutely fantastic set of extras for an absolutely amazing movie.

One of the best and most heartfelt movies I have seen in a very long time. The performances are very nearly uniformly brilliant, the writing is clever and witty and the direction really brings out some amazing performances, especially from Ferrell. A definite must have.