Excellent work all round, plus Will Ferrell's strongest performance to date.

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2008)

Stranger Than Fiction a premise that only occasionally crops up in film-making; what if the boundaries between what we perceive as real and our imaginations became inextricably linked? As this is such a hard question to base an entire narrative around, it is a pleasant surprise to see that the film succeeds admirably, mostly due to excellent characterisation and a lean script that doesn't waste a word.
Harold Crick (Ferrell) is an IRS agent who, for most of his adult life, has just been going through the motions without any feelings or attachments to anyone. He comes across as unresponsive and cold; a man so obsessed with numbers that he counts his footsteps and how many strokes he uses while brushing his teeth, and doesn't really come alive until he starts hearing a voice in his head. Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllanhaal) is a free-thinking, fiery local baker who resents paying income tax whom Harold must audit. Jules Hilbert is a literary professor whom Harold asks for advice when he begins to hear a voice in his mind, dictating parts of his life. Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) is a frail but acclaimed author with a severe case of writers block, and only through her narrative does the film take shape and intertwine the characters in a way that skillfully explores the concept of 'breaking the fourth wall'.
To say too much about the plot would ruin some of the comedic value and suspense. It is something of a black comedy which is played as dryly as possible for maximum effect. What I can discuss is the performances of the lead characters, which are uniformly excellent. Dustin Hoffman shows how much skill a veteran actor can inject into every nuance seemingly without effort and provides many of the films best lines and physical comedy. Emma Thompson, with assistance from Queen Latifah as her assistant, is convincing as an author trying to wring one last great novel from herself by any means possible.
Of particular note is Will Ferrell, who shows us a skill for drama and monologuing that I would never have expected given his previous 'Frat Pack' output. Instead of using hammy techniques and going for the easy and obvious, his understated subtlety works well as Harold grows into his own life and takes control in a way that had once eluded him. It is a completely straight performance played without irony and works all the better for it.
As mentioned, the script is completely airtight. I can find no flaws, small or large. It is not necessarily the most quotable piece of work found in a film but it doesn't need to be. The pacing backs up the strong writing: never going too fast and cramming in ideas but never going too slowly to drag and bore the viewer. This makes it appealing as it avoids the currently popular choice where 'fast cuts' are used to artificially inflate the sense of tension.
Other points to note. The incidental music is fantastic; whether it is a score or a piece of pop music, the motifs used give the various moments of the film a pleasing cohesion. The titles and subtle use of graphical overlays (mostly in the first act as Harold Crick's methodical life is explained) are very noteworthy, too. Again, small details that add crowning touches to an already impressive motion picture.
Stranger Than Fiction is an excellent piece of film-making, proving yet again that big budget special effects and melodramatic performances are not what makes a movie so enjoyable, especially upon repeat viewings. What does matter is characterisation, something that is in abundance here. All the characters have little quirks and tics that make them more tangible and all seem to change and be enriched by the depicted events at the conclusion, finding hidden strengths they weren't aware of and answering all the major questions posed.
It is nice to know that pictures like this are still being made, in between the botched remakes of old classics and excessive cartoon-to-celluloid superhero adaptations. A beautiful piece of work.