PLOT:
Everybody knows that your life is a story. But what if a story was your life? Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is your average I.R.S. Agent: monotonous, boring, and repetitive. But one day this all changes when Harold begins to hear an author inside of his head narrating his life. The narrator it is extraordinarily accurate, and Harold recognizes the voice as an esteemed author he saw on television. But when the narration reveals that he is going to die, Harold must find the author of the story, and ultimately his life, to convince her to change the ending of the story before it is too late
REVIEW:
What did I like?
Will power. Will Ferrell is primarily known as a manchild, physical type comedian. It is a rare sight for him to do a more adult-type role, let alone a serious one. Yet, here we are watching him shine and wondering could he have a career outside of comedy, or was this just a one time thing. We may never know, but one thing is for certain, he shows he is more than just a comedic buffoon. Come to think of it, I don’t believe he even cracks a smile until the end. Who would of thought this was to come from Ferrell?
Narration. Emma Thompson’s deadpan, matter of fact delivery of the narration fits her arc in the story. Not to spoil anything, but she narrates as if she is writing a story and Ferrell is the main character. There is just something about a proper British person narrating that makes everything, no matter how dire, better. Then again, I wonder what this would have sounded like with Samuel L. Jackson doing the narration. Can you imagine the amount of time he would have said “mother f—er”? Actually, it does pose the question, who would narrate if we were in Ferrell’s shoes?
Connection. Raise your hand if you think Ferrell is a sexy leading man? No one? How about the image of him hooking up with Maggie Gyllenhaal? A little more believable, but still a longshot. Well, that is what happens, but it isn’t done right off the bat. As a matter of fact, she hates him for coming in and serving her with an audit (she’s one of those government is evil types, btw). As the movie progresses, she does soften up. While I could have done with more development of that angle, it isn’t the main plot, but their connection was done organically and should be appreciated.
What didn’t I like?
Queen. I have been seeing commercials for Queen Latifah starring a TV reboot of The Equalizer the past couple of weeks. Never watched the original show, so I’m curious how she’ll compare to Denzel. I don’t see her in that kind of role, if I’m being honest. Still, she may surprise. The same kind of thing can be said for her role as Emma Thompson’s assistant in this film. This is a role the Queen should have had when she was first trying to break into acting, but at this later point in her career (let’s not forget she was nominated for an Oscar a few years prior) why is she playing a role where she is barely on screen, let alone does anything memorable. For me, I just think they could have grabbed someone off the street to do the same thing (and probably paid them much less).
Relationship. I already talked about Ferrell’s relationship with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s character, but what about the other people in the film. For the most part, he is a loner and a creature of habit (such a wonderful life!!!), but he does seem to have the one friend, Dave, who seems to live in an apartment designed by the people who created The Jetsons, or at least that vision of the future. In his attempt to figure out what is with the voices in his head, he is referred to Dustin Hoffman’s character, I forget his name at the moment. I have a slight issue with this in that is seems as if they would go on to be friends, but in reality they just seem to be doctor/patient. Why is this an issue? Well, the fact that he is opening up to someone when he has so very few people in his life. Perhaps I am just reading too much into it, though.
What brought this on? Here is the big question. Why is Ferrell hearing the narration? Is there some magical totem that he stumbled upon when riding the bus? Did he steal some voodoo priestess’ seat? Is it just random dumb luck? This is something that was never explained but it is mention that Thompson’s character has done the same thing to, I believe the number was 16, others makes me question if people just randomly go about hearing voices in their head from her shortly before they die. It is a small compliant, but one I wish they would have given an explanation for, even if it was some cheesy revelation during the credits.
Final verdict:
What did I ultimately think of Stranger Than Fiction? This is a surprisingly competent movie, which something you don’t often say of films starring Will Ferrell. Again, Ferrell’s turn as a serious actor is the most impressive part of this film. The story keeps you hooked wondering what is going to happen next. Maggie Gyllenhaal makes for a cute love interest, but that whole subplot would not be missed if it was removed. All in all, this was a decent film and I highly recommend it for a viewing or two.
4 out of 5 stars
Mystery Man's Musings 