Ferrell gives his best performance to date in a thoroughly enjoyable comedy/drama

Rating: 7/10 (24 October 2007)

For the past 10 years Will Ferrell has been strictly known for his off the wall humor and crazy gags. His famous films include: Anchorman, A Night at the Roxbury and Talladega Nights. All of these films show Ferrell is very gifted at comedy but none show him as a man capable of truly acting in a drama. Up until this point there was little hope Ferrell would ever be more than a comedian who appealed to teenage audiences. Stranger Than Fiction changes all of that and brings out on of the finest performances of 2006.
Stranger Than Fiction revolves around Harold Crick, a dull IRS Auditor who is obsessed with counting and has virtually no life beside his job. One day he begins to hear a voice narrating his own life, a voice only Harold can hear. As he struggles to figure out whether he is crazy or not with the help of a literature professor, he begins to audit the attractive baker Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who he begins to fall in love with. The story is different but it works and heres why.
The story is very different but not so different everyone who watches is saying "wtf?" The story is fresh. It strains away from the typical romantic comedies/comedy-dramas and makes its own little story afresh. The story also gives very in depth presentations of the characters. We begin to feel as if we actually no the characters, not just watching them. It is also a well executed story, there isn't too much to understand or any double meanings to everything, the film is straight forward with just a few questions arising every now and again which are suppose to be there to keep us guessing until the end.
Will Ferrell, in my opinion, gives his best performance to date. Not because it is a drama and usually drama actors have to work harder then comedy actors, no, thats not the case here. Ferrell actually does give his best performance mainly because he isn't constantly screaming and saying obnoxious things. It is the first look into a more sophisticated Will Ferrell, though I don't mind having him in comedy films at all. Ferrell is able to portray the dull Harold Crick perfectly. He feels as if he has been doing the same thing all of his life. He never strays away from the personality he presents and that was the reason the film works so well, Ferrell is constantly in character, on screen.
Gyllenhaal is not one of my personal favorites for films. I usually find her dull and trying to hard in her roles when I see her in a movie but maybe thats just me. I did liked her in this though. She seemed to be what was needed to make the film move along. I do feel that the relationship that develops between Harold and Ana is a bit far-fetched but nevertheless it still feels sweet as we watch the two interact. Overall Gyllenhaal's job is a job well done in Stranger Than Fiction.
The film will make you laugh, it will make you feel good inside but it will also make you sad. Ferrell is able to put just the right amount of emotion into each scene to make them work and is the glue that holds the movie together. I don't think the movie would have been as good if Farrell had not been in it. I don't think teens will find this as enjoyable as I did. It doesn't have the sick humor and loads of nudity that seems to draw teens to most comedies these days. I think couples and anyone looking for a well acted, well written film would find this film to be a great piece to spend two hours watching.
3.5/5 stars