Fresh, original piece of Twilight Zone-ish fantasy

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2006)

A fresh, original piece in the "Being John Malkovich" mode. An IRS auditor (Will Ferrell) becomes aware that his life is being narrated by a writer (Emma Thompson) suffering writer's block (or so we're told). Of course, if she is really blocked, Ferrell would be inert. Anyway, Ferrell is a character in the writer's latest novel who she is determined to kill off. His mission is to find the writer and convince her to stall his demise. Although this is the basic plot, the film explores many issues including identity, conformity and destiny. Directorially, the film has a clarity that is refreshing and an acute sense of invention. The use of a beautiful piece of Vangelis music from another film is inspired. Call it "Twilight Zone"-lite, but "Stranger Than Fiction" deftly balances the fantastique elements with the human aspects. The film's love story, between Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal, is surprisingly subtle and unforced.