Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Marc Forster

Starring: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Runtime: 113 minutes

Harold Crick (Ferrell) lives a normal, almost mundane existence, where every day is exactly the same as the last.  However, things get very weird very quickly, when Harold realizes that there is a woman narrating his life, but only he can hear her.  Desperate to find out what's wrong with him, and terrified by a new revelation of the voice, saying that his death is imminent, Harold seeks the consul of literary expert Jules Hilbert (Hoffman).  Meanwhile, famous, reclusive, and eccentric author Karen Eiffel (Thompson) is having troubles of her own.  She's almost done with her first book in ten years, but she can't figure out how to kill of the main character....Harold.

When I first started this movie I was totally expecting a straight comedy (maybe a romantic comedy....maybe).  I mean, the starring role is Will Ferrell!  He always stars in comedies!  I wasn't expecting a drama to unfold, and I never realized how powerful it would be.  When a man knows that he is going to die, what will he do to make sure that he can truly live?  And how far will he go to change his fate?

Will Ferrell completely surprised me in this role.  Up until now, I had always seen him in comedies (Elf, Blades of Glory, etc.).  And although Stranger than Fiction is a comedy, its also a drama, and Ferrell tackles these parts with surprising (for me at least) passion, and emotion.  His character was awkward, shy, and totally adorable :)

As a writer, it was fascinating to see a movie about a book about a man's life.  It was a fascinating look into how a book is written, and what would happen if the characters became aware of what the writer was doing.  I thought that Harold's "book" was very well-written, and if it were ever published, I would run over to the library/bookstore and read it right now!  It kept my interest with all its little details, without going overboard and gagging the storyline.

The ending was very interesting, to say the least.  I can't say much without spoiling it, but I will say that it was powerful and thought-provoking, although, as a writer, I'm not sure if totally agree with how Harold's story closed.  Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it over all.  A very good movie, and must-see.