An unusual, but never mundane, film....Ferrell is excellent!

Rating: 6/10 (23 January 2007)

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is an IRS agent obsessed with numbers. He brushes his teeth a certain number of times each day, walks the same number of steps to catch the bus, and does complex multiplication in his head with great ease. One day, however, he hears someone "narrating" his life as he goes about this daily existence. He consults a psychiatrist who suggests schizophrenia. But, Harold knows he is not going crazy and, instead, turns to a literature expert (Dustin Hoffman) to help him make sense of the voice. Then, too, Harold is struck by some of the narrator's words and he realizes he is missing some of the big assets of life, such as love. He is smitten with a lovely baker, who he is supposed to be auditing, and he goes for broke in the romance department. It works in his favor. But, wait a minute. The narrator suddenly predicts Harold's death. Does poor Mr. Crick have any hope in avoiding his own demise? This is an out-of-the-ordinary movie, to say the least. It has wonderful messages about living life to the fullest but it's own construction is somewhat awkward and misconstrued. The idea of Harold being a character is someone else's book is difficult to fathom and does not quite work in the final analysis. That being said, Ferrell is absolutely wonderful as the man who needed a running commentary on his life to discover new possibilities in living. The rest of the cast, including Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Queen Latifah, is also very nice. Production values, including costumes, setting and photography, are more than adequate. If you want to see a film that is a far cry from the formulaic, this is the one to choose. The story may not be entirely successful, but with Ferrell in the lead and the other fine cast members in tow, a viewing of this film will take you to the brave new world of intriguing film making.