Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) has a problem. He’s hearing a voice in his head that seems to be narrating his actions. As he goes about his daily activities as an I.R.S. auditor, the voice explains what he’s done to an unseen audience. The voice belongs to author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), who is actually writing a book featuring a character named Harold Crick. It appears that Eiffel is controlling the life of the real Mr. Crick.
Eiffel is suffering from writer’s block and she’s searching for a creative way to kill off her main character. As she searches for a unique way to make Harold Crick die, Crick searches for the source behind the voice in his head and begins to change his life in an attempt to make it stop.
Stranger than Fiction belongs in the same genre as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Being John Malkovich in that it features a plot device that’s completely implausible placed smack dab in the middle of an otherwise normal world. While the plot might feel right at home in a script penned by Charlie Kaufman (who wrote both of the aforementioned films), Stranger than Fiction is certainly not as creative or quirky. It certainly tries to be, but it doesn’t quite make it.
The script, by Zach Helm, doesn’t venture into the same type of emotional territory as Kaufman usually does. That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with it. It simply lacks the type of truly quirky and fleshed-out characters that are found in Kaufman’s scripts. The characters are a little too caricature-like to seem real.
Will Ferrell, who’s playing his first semi-dramatic role in what is essentially a comedy-drama, does an admirable job as Harold Crick. He’s very good at playing likeable schlubs and that describes Crick to a tee. Since the character isn’t nearly as interesting as the situation he’s in, Ferrell’s not required to do too much in the way of true acting. The solid supporting cast, which includes Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Linda Hunt, take a lot of the weight off Ferrell’s shoulders.
Stranger than Fiction‘s biggest problem is the ending. While I won’t give it away, I will say that it’s tremendously disappointing. If handled properly, it could have propelled the movie to a different level. As it is, the film remains an entertaining, if flawed, observation on life and death.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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