"Stranger", but not better

Rating: 6/10 (11 November 2006)

Call it "I Heart Huckabees" for the average moviegoer. "Stranger Than Fiction" is a trippy dramedy about a drab IRS auditor Harold Crick ((Will Ferell), who discovers his life is being written for him, by uber-successful author Karen Eiffel (the hilarious Emma Thompson), which would be great were it not for the fact that she unwittingly plan to kill him off. Thus begins the quest to find the reclusive Ms. Eiffel and convince to alter the story. Crick is aided by a looney lit professor (Dustin Hoffman), and a rebellious tax-evading baker who he falls in love with. Sound strange enough? The script was fought for among the Hollywood suits, but I can't see why. Sure it's a modestly entertaining existential piece, ala "Eternal Sunshine", but not nearly the same caliber. The acting is excellent. The soundtrack is awesome (in my humble opinion, Spoon is the best rock band on Earth). The cinematography is beautiful. But ironically for such a sought after script, "Fiction" stumbles because of its writing. At times, the story becomes too trippy for its own good, trying to beat us over the head with its indie "smartness" and "everything's connected" storytelling that has become in vogue since "Crash" took home Best Picture. The story is fun and poignant until the end, where it trips over itself, trying messily to make ends meet and spoiling what began as a lot of fun. This film is worth watching, just rent it so you can turn it off before the final 20 minutes. Create your own ending. It will be better than the real one.