It is life; it is stranger than fiction

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2008)

It is amazing how life's simple lessons can be narrated in so many imaginative ways. If you rip Stranger Than Fiction to its core, you would find it is not just a story. It is a parable with an age old truism being its moral. Harold Crick (Ferrell) needs a life altering event to break out of his meaningless lifestyle and that event arrives in the most unreal form. The movie is another one of quite a few Hollywood movies that fantasy in the storyline for make the message more realistic. The name of Michel Gondry definitely comes to mind. In fact, the movie has Gondry/Charlie Kaufman feel to it in that there is no attempt made to rationalize the fanciful. The movie remains completely accessible at all stages and uses intelligent screenplay to keep the audience engage as the story starts to unravel itself. Some scenes, including the ones depicting Ferrel's meticulousness, are hilarious and lay a very solid base for the move. Even though, the story assumes a more serious nature in the second half, there is always an element of humor attached in the scenes. In being subtle in its humor while not becoming completely melodramatic, the film manages to achieve a consistent tempo in storytelling throughout. The performances are top-notch and Will Ferell's efforts to underplay Harold is as fine as Jin Carey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Overall, the movie weaves a simple story around some very imaginative writing and tight screenplay to make for a memorable watch.