Stranger Than Fiction

What would you do if you woke up one day and discovered that you were merely a fictional character in a book? That is what happens to Harold Crick in the clever comedy Stranger Than Fiction, the latest effort from versatile director Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland). Crick (played by a remarkably restrained Will Ferrell) begins to hear a voice-over narration of his life as he is living it. Is he the victim of a sick joke? Is he going crazy? Or is he literally the figment of someone’s imagination? That imagination belongs to author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) who is writing the story of Harold Crick (unbeknownst to Harold himself). However, she is currently amidst a bad case of writer’s block and can’t for the life of her figure out how to kill the poor fellow. Harold, meanwhile, decides to take steps to determine whether he is in a comedy or a tragedy. It’s a killer premise, as conceived by screenwriter Zach Helm, and the dialogue is deliciously witty. Sadly, the film loses much of its steam in the final half-hour and is demoted from being a comic masterpiece to simply a quirky and innovative little picture. The performances all around are top-notch, but Dustin Hoffman stands out as the literature professor who attempts to aid Harold with his unusual problem. In the maelstrom of remakes, sequels and plot-challenged rubbish currently being released, it’s refreshing to see a movie with a wonderfully original concept.

Directed by Marc Forster.
Written by Zach Helm.
Starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah and Emma Thompson.

Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, sexuality, brief language and nudity. 113 min.

***½ so says The Fish