ENGAGING CULTURE

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Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is your run-of-the-mill IRS agent, good at his job, but bored with a life filled with more numbers than people. However, one day while preparing for work in his usual fashion, all of that changes. He begins to hear a voice giving narration about his mundane actions. Harold seeks the help of Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), a professor of Literary Theory, to find the source of this mysterious narrator. But little do they know that it is really the voice of Kay Eiffel, (Emma Thompson) a well known author who is working on a masterpiece to bring her out of a 10-year hiatus. Eiffel is indeed writing the story of Harold’s life, a story which ends in Harold’s death.

Harold begins to change his daily routine and becomes more adventurous as an attempt to shake the narration and his impending death. In the process, an astonishing thing happens. Harold goes to audit the tax return of Ana Pascal a tattooed bakery shop owner (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and can’t stop thinking about her. Harold embarks on an attempt to escape from the mundane in order to find love and life.

Director: Marc Forster
Running Time: 113 minutes
Rating: PG-13 (Some disturbing images, romantic situations, mild profanity and nudity)

Stranger than Fiction does a lot of things exceedingly well and almost none poorly. It is a suspense, fantasy, and romantic comedy all-in-one that (amazingly) works! It takes a great premise and runs with it, neither wasting opportunities nor going off on tangents. It features strong work from both the main and supporting actors, and manages seamlessly to incorporate both humor and poignancy. I expected Stranger than Fiction to be funny; I had not anticipated it to be as touching as it is. Director Marc Forster and screenwriter Zach Helm reveal great affection for their characters, and this is apparent in every frame of the finished picture.

For Harold Crick, every day is like every other; for twelve years, he has lived a life of solitude. Then comes a mysterious Wednesday when Harold begins to hear a voice. At first, he thinks his toothbrush or tie is talking to him, but then he figures out what’s going on: he’s the main character in someone else’s book. Kay’s voice is an annoyance until she mentions that, little does he know, his death is around the corner. This forces Harold to seek help.

I believe with this movie Ferrell shows his real acting abilities and makes it clear in my mind that he may be the next Steve Martin. Riotously funny in comedies and serious and charming in drama. He’s very good here, developing a likable character and never going over-the-top. He’s funny when the script wants him to be, and heroic or tragic when that’s called for. His chemistry with Maggie Gyllenhaal, who glows, is palpable. Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are fine in supporting roles. Queen Latifah is wasted as Kay’s assistant. One wonders if the bulk of her work ended up on the cutting room floor, because it’s hard to believe she would otherwise accept such a thankless role.

Once upon a time, Hollywood films used the slogan “You laugh and you’ll cry” to get people into theaters. That’s literally true of Stranger than Fiction. This movie has the star power and potential for widespread appeal, but it’s more intelligent than what we usually get from the studios. Nothing in Stranger than Fiction is cookie-cutter or formula driven. It’s predictable in short spans, but not in an overall sense. The visuals are playful (Ferrell’s numbers obsessions are colorfully illustrated on the screen with a series of overlays) but the emotional impact is not. Stranger than Fiction is a wonderful cinematic experience.

However I only gave it a shallow for its story’s theological value. It was a great and beautiful movie, but besides a moral lesson of becoming the hero of your own life’s story it was purely for entertainment, and that’s not a bad thing.

Fun Fact: If I’m not mistaken, the book in this picture behind Harold’s right ear is “Left Behind” the first in a long line of novels pushing Premillenialist dogma. I’m not sure if I could trust a Literary Theory professor who would be proud to display a book by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins on his bookshelf. I want to know what crew member was responsible for planting that book in the scene to totally distract me from the story so I can write them a scathing letter to try and convert them to Amillenialism.

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