'Stranger Than Fiction' achieves cinematic, literary success
By Susannah Elliott, Entertainment Editor
November 16, 2006 | 2 p.m.
Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is an awkward IRS agent who begins to hear a bodiless voice narrate his every move. The voice of a seemingly omniscient British woman enters his mind when he is at work or even brushing his teeth, providing insightful prose as commentary for his everyday life. As Crick files folders in an empty room at work, the woman announces to an unseen audience that the calculating introvert imagines the sound of the folders’ rubbing against each other as waves in the endless ocean that is his work. The most frightening realization for Crick is that the voice — while possessing a much better vocabulary than his own — is always correct.
The urgency of Crick’s plight is increased when, while waiting for a bus, the voice mentions his “imminent death.” After little success with psychiatric advice, he seeks help in Dr. Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), a dry-humored literature professor who decides Crick is not completely insane. The two men agree that Crick must be the main character in some sort of story, and Hilbert develops a system to determine what type of story it may be. If this story is a tragedy, Crick will die, but if it’s a comedy, he will end up living happily ever after.
The tragedy vs. comedy determination hinges mostly on the actions of Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a tattooed, anti-establishment baker Crick is sent to audit. Her cutting, but endearing humor attracts him, helping him to determine that his story is a comedy.
The problem with that decision is that the voice in his head is none other than Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a famous author known for killing the heroes at the end of her books. Eiffel hasn’t written a novel in 10 years and is suffering from severe writer’s block, so her publisher sends an assistant (Queen Latifah) to speed up the process. As the two spend day after day figuring out a way to kill Harold Crick, the character himself races to figure out a way to avoid his death.
The ending is very Capra-esque, steeped in irony, emotion and feel-good vibes. The moral of Zach Helm’s screenplay, much like the one in Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life,” is to value the everyday occurrences that otherwise go unnoticed. While the sentiment is nothing new, “Stranger Than Fiction” is far from banal.
The stellar cast brought exuberant life to the story-within-a-story, despite backdrops of dreary cubicles and minimalist apartments. Ferrell has made few breakthroughs in dramatic roles, but demonstrates here that he is capable of both drama and comedy. As Harold Crick, Ferrell brings a personality that is familiar to his fans, but less outrageous and more relatable in his achingly awkward grasp of social niceties.
Emma Thompson takes chain-smoking neuroticism to new heights as Kay Eiffel. Flawless delivery is never out of the ordinary for Thompson, however, and audiences can expect the usual passion in her role. Queen Latifah as her assistant is equally perfect in her performance, acting as the smooth voice of reason. Dustin Hoffman gives normalcy and perfect comedic timing to Dr. Jules Hilbert’s eccentricities, and Maggie Gyllenhaal breathes originality into a socialist character that could easily become a blank archetype.
A scenario as mind-boggling as the one in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” a literary presence stronger than that of “Alex & Emma” and the confused everyman like that of “The Truman Show” make up “Stranger Than Fiction,” a magic concoction of cinematic delight. The film examines life, love and literature in a detached, intelligent way that comes full circle when it forces viewers to examine the film itself.
Moviegoers have entered a time where big-budget films from the likes of Steven Spielburg and Ron Howard are becoming cliché, but the “indie film” is also decreasingly edgy. “Stranger Than Fiction” is a unique overlap of both worlds, just as Harold Crick’s life blurs the boundary between fiction and reality.
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Visit the official Web site for “Stranger Than Fiction.”
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Speakeasy rating: A+
Running time: 113 mins.
Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, sexuality, brief language and nudity
Genre: Drama, comedy, romance, science fiction/fantasy