Stranger Than Fiction is a surprising delight...

Rating: 8/10 (4 December 2006)

Stranger Than Fiction
3.5/4
Harold Crick: "You don't understand that this isn't a story to me, it's my life! I want to live!"
Having just written and optioned his first feature, Zach Helm decided to take a risk. Rather than taking on writing assignments or rewriting various projects, Helm went the unorthodox way and decided to take however long he needed to write a new, original screenplay. Coincidentally, "Stranger Than Fiction" is a wonderfully inventive and substantive film; it is one of the most original films of the new millennium.
Harold Crick (Ferrell) is an IRS agent living a life mired in routine. He counts brush strokes, wakes up everyday at 6:17 AM, and maintains a precise schedule for everything he does, even the most trivial of activities. However, Harold starts to hear a voice, a narrator- a voice only he can hear. The narration begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.
One of Stranger's strengths is that it is able to both create and sustain a perfect balance between moments of drama and comedy. This is rare, especially in 2006 as scripts like Peter Morgan's "The Queen" fail to find equal footing in these territories resulting in a handful of poorly received jokes. Even in the moments leading to the films dramatic climax, Helm cracks a shell of tension through comedic narration that is both effective and hysterical. This is an incredibly difficult area to navigate for any screenwriter, but Helm, aided by Marc Forster's assured direction, succeeds.
The most notable aspect of the film is Zach Helm's masterfully crafted screenplay. It is awe inspiring in its creativity and novelty. Every word is exact in its selectivity, just like Harold Crick's life. The quality of the script is what caused such stars as Oscar winners Thompson and Hoffman as well as the talented Maggie Gyllenhaal to gravitate toward the project. The crux of its dramatic material is powerful, to say the least, and ultimately heartbreaking. Such a screenplay demands recognition but sadly, it may be passed over in an incredibly strong Original Screenplay category this year featuring Oscar winner Eric Roth, the renowned Peter Morgan, and a fellow freshmen, Michael Ardnt.
Will Ferrell is a revelation in "Fiction," he is cast perfectly and shocks his audience. Ferrell strides through the dramatic material with ease, something that fans of his comedic ventures such as "Talladega Nights" will be surprised to discover. Emma Thompson thrives as struggling author and narrator Karen Eiffel, delivering one of the best supporting actress performances of the year. Hoffman, always charming, works his magic here with a good turn, triumphantly returning to a quality films.
The films only misstep occurs in its final act, which I won't discuss in length. Suffice to say, rather than going for the gut with an incredibly dark and emotionally complex turn, the film takes a different route but still ends on a relatively satisfying note. Despite a slight wave of disappointment that came over me, I understood why Fiction took this direction and still enjoyed it.
"Stranger Than Fiction" isn't a great film but it comes close enough. Fiction is drenched in poignancy, and manages to be uniquely intelligent and profound. These qualities are exceptionally rare in today's world of blockbusters, sequels, and low budget horror films. Stranger Than Fiction deserves its pathos, it is a pleasurable viewing experience amidst its intermittently dreary (yet simultaneously brilliant) content. It is a film worth seeing, if only for its wit, let alone the questions it poses. The film hits topics ranging from carpe diem to omnipotence to routine and it does so successfully. Helm has a bright career ahead of him and if he continues writing like this, he will join the ranks of writers like Eric Roth and Charlie Kaufman as the best writers in the industry. If this happens, I can assure you, film-goers across the world would not be in a tragedy.