8 out of 10

Rating: 8/10 (18 November 2006)

Stranger Than Fiction has had endless comparisons to the films written by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind), while the performance of the film's lead actor, Will Ferrell, has been compared to the dramatic turns of comedic actors, such as Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and Robin Williams. While Stranger Than Fiction is definitely more mainstream than a film written by Charlie Kaufman, comparisons of Will Ferrell's performance to Jim Carrey in The Truman Show do have merit. Will Ferrell successfully gives a dramatic performance in this comedic film.
Director Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland) reinvents his directing style by creating a film that is very reliant on its screenplay. He refrains from an overly visual look by composing a flat, minimally toned image, and carefully directs Ferrell to a performance where not once does he overact. The screenplay, written by Zach Helm, apparently was much buzzed about when it was initially pitched. It sparked a bidding war throughout many studios and was eventually won by Sony Pictures. Helm's first produced script provides an extremely creative premise, but in parts, seems like the characters were too self aware of the direction of the storyline.
Will Ferrell gives his best performance to date as the IRS agent Harold Crick, and Emma Thompson is equally great as the writer's block suffering author Karen Eiffel. Crick starts to hear Eiffel's voice narrating his actions, and we come to realize that Crick is the main character of Eiffel's new book. Out of desperation, Crick seeks out literary professor Jules Hilbert, quirkily played by Dustin Hoffman, for guidance on where his own narrative is going. Hoffman's performance is reminiscent to his role in 2004's similarly toned, I Heart Huckabees. Maggie Gyllenhaal is also great as Ana Pascal, a tattooed baker who refuses to pay her taxes, while Queen Latifah reminds us that she's still funny as the underdeveloped character of Eiffel's assistant..
The film weaves comedy, romance, and fantasy all together in a similar fashion to Adaptation. Also like in Adaptation, the character of the author will create an ending that parallels the ending of the actual movie. Stranger Than Fiction's ending is incredibly fascinating, and will be either loved or hated. While others might see the ending as an unsatisfying copout, it is a truly complex conclusion that gives the audience closure on whether the film is a comedy or a tragedy.
Stranger Than Fiction is not your typical Will Ferrell comedy. It isn't loud, and it doesn't contain Ferrell running around nude. However, it is an intelligent, clever film, that has its moments of contempt, fantasy, and romance.