Intriguing concept of modern life but lacking in energy

Rating: 5/10 (1 February 2007)

Every once in a while, a movie comes along that changes the way you look at a comedic actor and really shows off their acting prowess in the dramatic talent. Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and Will Smith have all made the cut, each of them earning critical acclaim for their performances.
Stranger Than Fiction tells the story of hopeless Harold Crick stuck in a boring job, living in his solitary life, being imprisoned by his daily routines. He trundles along day after day waiting for his life to explode into action. One day he begins to hear a voice in his head. Is it god? A higher power? Someone is writing a story about every waking moment of his life and only he has the power to take control of it; to try new things, fulfill dreams and find love.
The revelation that something is changing occurs almost from the beginning of the film, so little time is wasted on establishing characters and setting. As a result the action begins early, and thankfully so do the laughs.
Will Ferrell's performance has been hailed as moving, touching, and in slyly humorous overtones. He gives one of his best heartfelt performances here with much restraint and self-loathing comedy. By the end though I wanted to see more from Ferrell instead of just the poe-faced, drab IRS auditor. His transformation could have been stellar showing off a palette of emotions. By the time it came to "carpe diem" for him I was let down a little bit by his sluggishness.
Gyllenhaal is charming, sweet and sexy in her role and she provides an attractive love interest. Her character in the film is a good "opposites attract" match for Ferrell and she has good material to work with in the film. Hoffman (as well as each of his films) as Professor Hilbert is marvelous and totally outshines Ferrell at times; is so natural and zany, pivotal to Harold's life changing actions.
I really wished we saw more of Emma Thompson's Kay Eiffel, the chain-smoking author of Harold's life experiencing writer's block. She is so believably wacky and eccentric, inhabiting her role. Unfortunately there was not much for her to work with and the character was not fully developed as I would have liked. Her assistant (Latifah) was underused and wasted and I felt did not bring anything worthwhile to the plot or the dynamic with Eiffel.
But the main problem I have with the film were the serious pacing issues, especially during the second half. There were some dead moments where the action didn't seem to move along even despite the commendable efforts of the fine actors. I felt the climax of the film was too drawn out and overdone and really lacked the wit and pace required in tradition with the film's subject matter. Forster tries to infuse humour into many scenes and downplays the score and tone of many scenes. However most of the time it comes out just awkward and lacking energy, ultimately I felt that the film slowed down terribly.
The story itself is a very Woody Allen-esquire premise with voice-overs, blurring between reality and satire and rantings on the futility and ridiculousness of modern life. I was expecting a really clever, witty and satirist comedy but in the end I really was a disappointed. The script lacked energy and bite, the dialogue should have been much sharper. Also given the fantastic cast, how could you go wrong?
This is a remarkable debut for this promising writer and another solid film for this versatile director. They had a fantastic cast that fulfilled their roles very well. But I felt that the script should have been much stronger and the editing was very flat. Still, a valuable addition to Mr Ferrell's resume and worth a look for the very intriguing concept.