Narrated movies, shows...should we have more?

According to the Robert McKee character in Adaptation, narration is a device used by writers too lazy or incompetent to use the characters and dialogue to move the story along. It's much easier to use, though less interesting to the audience.

 

Narration is very powerful. It adds an extra dimension of time and place. Showtime's new series with Eric Stoltz does it a lot. Wonder Years was great at it. But you need a great writer to really pull it off. In my opinion you are correct. My favorite movie Shawshank has some narration as well. But as you know Stephen King wrote that material so it's about as good as you can get in this day and age. Very powerful stuff.

 

And there are a good many Blade Runner fans who don't like the Harrison Ford voice overs (and the director's cut omits them completely).

But for a movie like Fletch, the voice over works.

 

I also look at it like music. Just another way to emphasize the theme from another perspective. Forrest Gump was another great movie that used narration now that I think of it.

 

"Hollywood is like a box of choc-o-lates.
Each piece looks like a little turd.
The one that crunches, well that's the
one with okay writing. Then the
stank-ass green greasy spearmint
filled chocolate, well that there is
your narration-filled movie."

 

wonder years = best television show ever.

yes we should have more...but no wonder years rip offs.

a little did you know: the voice of older kevin arnold in the wonder years is the voice of daniel stern, marv the burglar in the home alone series. he's also in city slickers.