Stranger Than Fiction (2006) April 15, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Marc Forster
This charming story tells the tale of a button-down office worker who desperately needs to shake up his life. Hardly a revolution in storytelling you might think, it just sounds like any ordinary, boring yarn from that description. However, the events that lead to his shake up are anything but ordinary.
Harold Crick is an IRS agent who lives his life by the strictest of routines, when all of a sudden he starts to hear a voice narrating his life. Since Harold is the only person who can hear the mysterious voice he immediately tries to ignore it, but it soon begins to interrupt his routine. Desperate to discover the source of his chronicler, Harold consults literary professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman). Meanwhile, writer Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is struggling to finish her new book – she just can’t figure out the best way to kill her central character; a man named Harold Crick.
Will Ferrell is uncharacteristically subdued as Harold, the central character of both the film and the book within the film. His performance however, matches the tone of the movie perfectly, paving the way for the other characters to shine, like Emma Thompson as the neurotic writer, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Ana (Harold’s unrequited love interest), and Dustin Hoffman, who plays a character similar to that of his part in I Heart Huckabees, but is enjoyable nonetheless.
Some very understated but still effective direction by Finding Neverland director Marc Forster gives the film a consistent look and feel that’s in keeping with the story. There is also a great selection of music throughout, as well as the visually interesting use of on-screen graphics to represent Harold’s thoughts to the audience.
The script is naturally going to be compared to the work of Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine) and while in overview this does seem like something he might create, the final product is very different in both voice and tone. The fact that it comes from relative newcomer Zach Helm gives hope for the future that maybe we’ll be seeing more talented offbeat writers making a name for themselves in Hollywood.
This is a fantasy movie for sure, but the fact that it keeps its feet so firmly on the ground helps to instil a great amount of realism. There are some moments of genuine affection, as well as quite a few good laughs. On the other hand, there are some clichés to contend with too, mainly in the developing romance between Harold and Ana. The film also draws out the lead-up to its final conclusion slightly, but even that wasn’t enough to make me impatient with it.
Fun characters, good performances and a nicely told story make this one to check out if you don’t mind a slightly left-of-centre narrative. Some have said that Will Ferrell’s attempt to pull a ‘Jim Carrey’ and do a straight role has failed, but I found this to be neither a failure, nor a completely straight role for Ferrell – just a more subdued comedy style. For me, Stranger than Fiction simply presents the skewed perspective on life, which is a welcome change from all those ‘ordinary’ comedy dramas.
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