I have a net-flix account that I am pretty bad at using. I have had three DVDs sitting on top of my TV since mid-august waiting on me to watch them. This past week I actually got around to watching all three, but only one, Stranger than Fiction, was good enough, to me, to warrant any commentary.
Stranger Than Fiction is a Will Ferrell movie that is totally and unequivocally like no other Will Ferrell movie. He plays the role of Harold Crick, an IRS Agent, who is also, oddly enough, the protagonist in a book that is being written by a high respected author; Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson). I realize, if you haven't seen the movie that that little summation probably doesn't make any sense. However, it didn't make much sense to Harold either as he was brushing his teeth and suddenly heard the authors voice narrating his normal, and dull, daily life - narrating in a voice only he can hear.
Most people, I think, would think that they might be crazy. However, the authors narration is uncannily accurate and so Harold is both frustrated and intrigued, until suddenly, while waiting on the bus, he hears the narration that foreshadows his impending, and nearly-immediate death. At first Harold visits a psychiatrist but he disagrees with her diagnosis so he follows her secondary advice and visits with a literary expert, Professor Jules Hibert (played by Dustin Hoffman). Professor Hibert tries to help him make sense of the narration but, overall, is little help beyond telling Harold that he should just live his own life.
Thankfully, Harold listens to the professor and starts to break out of his mold of living his days in a cookie cutter fashion and he pursues a love interest with the most recent victim of one of his audits, a baker named Ana Pascal (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal). Harold not only finds Ana exceptionally attractive and intriguing but Professor Hibert alluded that were she to fall in love with Harold that perhaps his story would become a comedy and not a deadly tragedy.
At this point I am reluctant to really reveal more about the movie's plot for fear of ruining it. I rarely write reviews and they are normally very brief and cursory. However, I think this movie deserves a little more effort on my part. I throughly enjoyed it. I am not a Will Ferrell fan but I thought he did a superb job in this movie and, much like Harold Crick I found Maggie Gyllenhaal to be irresistible. I have not seen her in any other movies before and I doubt I will watch any of her previous work based on this movie - but her performance, and presence, in this movie was a very nice complement to Ferrell's. Dustin Hoffman was his typical odd self - very much the same person he always seems to be to me; his motions always seem a little jerky and his dictation equally unbalanced - but he was still an interesting character who added a little flavor to the movie. The best performance however, was by Emma Thompson - the Author. Not only did I really enjoy her voice as she narrated her caustic and torn character, when the audience experienced her personally was a great counter to the hum-drum existence of Harold and his friends, and Ana and her edgy cuteness.
I doubt kids would really enjoy the movie just because it does move along at a slow pace, the scenes are generally pretty dry, and the humor quirky. However, I think most adults would enjoy this film - I will even watch this one again with Lisa - I think she will like it as well.
RATING7