A Stranger Fiction

Rating: 7/10 (3 May 2019)

Stranger than Fiction proved to be an enjoyable ride with twists and turns I couldn't have predicted. It's always nice to watch a film and genuinely not know how it's going to end. The film employs a unique technique of self-awareness of the script itself; utilizing age-old storytelling tools found in Aristotle's Poetics to not only present the in-context narrative of Harold's journey, but as a form of social commentary by literally presenting a character that knows he's in a story. It's a unique concept and fun premise that sounds promising from the start. The danger comes into play when one considers the film's overall theme and purpose.
Right off the back, I will say this is one of Will Ferrell's most impressive performances. The scene when his inevitable death becomes apparent with Dustin Hoffman's literary teacher character is one that felt emotionally truthful and raw. All in all, Will Ferrell gives a surprisingly subdued performance that feels remarkably held back for what it could be. I was also impressed (but not surprised) by Emma Thompson's performance. I felt her portrayal as a self-destructive and haunted writer. Her performance felt truthful and honest.
When it comes to the script, some of the film's most memorable moments come from the human moments imbedded in the screenplay's strongest moments of dramatic tension. The confrontation between Harold and Karen presents a layered dilemma with more at stake than just what's presented on the surface. The sequences portraying Harold and Ana's gradually changing relationship develop their character's journeys well and demonstrate excellent understanding of sequence construction and composition and understanding of momentum throughout the story so the narrative is constantly moving forward.
With all the strengths however, the script's issues can be readily seen through the various plot holes and unclear narrative world/rules in the construct of the story.
The story opens with a narrator that narrates Harold's life. When he finally becomes aware of this narrator's voice and commentary, it's unclear at first exactly what he's confused by. When we're introduced to Emma Thompson's character, it's very unclear who she is and what her purpose is since it's apparent she's the narrator. Starting off with a seemingly fantasy sequence of her imagining jumping off a building to her death made me think she was some kind of supernatural worker whose job it was to kill certain characters via useless narration. The entrance of her new assistant didn't help this unclear and confusing set up to a character that left me wondering when I would finally know who this character was.
Admittedly, the reveal of her being the author of a book of Harold's story (along with the reveal to him) was immensely satisfying. With that reveal however, more questions presented themselves like "When and how did her influence begin to control Harold's life?" "Has she influenced his entire life?" "Who is really in control of his life?" "At what points are his life out of her control or knowledge and why?" These questions kept pressing in the back of my mind throughout the picture and made it difficult to be completely invested in the world of the story. In a fantasy(ish)-style story like this, it's important to set up the rules of the fantasy clearly so we understand and can make the distinction between reality and fantasy. Having a clear understanding of the world of dreams in Inception help us get invested in the characters because we understand exactly what is at stake. Even if the reveal is throughout the design of the story, we understand the rules appropriate to that phase of the story. In this film, the inner-physics and mechanics of the story was unclear at several times that knowing would have enhanced the film's impact.
Due to a disorganized view of the story's rules, I had a hard time understanding what the movie was ultimately trying to convey. Perhaps a rough view of life's meaning and purpose. Perhaps the character arc of Harold learning to live life to the fullest (which is not what he was doing) in the beginning of the film. If that was the goal, for the protagonist to learn to live life in the most human way he can, perhaps another character/external force determining his fate is a contradictory narrative move. Perhaps a collaboration with the slightly anti-social writer and the character whose goal it was to become the master of his own destiny life would've helped bring each character's arc to a satisfying close and drive home the purpose stronger.
Still, I had a good time with the movie and it was enjoyable. There's a lot to love about the movie and does a great job and including the audience in the journey of the character while demonstrating excellent sequence ordering and momentum that help drive the film forward. It's very entertaining and while there are issues, it's hard to imagine anyone actually hating this movie. It's appeal feels universal and it's balance of drama and comedy are expert.