Enchanting, Sweet, and Too Funny!!!

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2007)

This is a story about a man named Harold Crick, and his wristwatch. Those are the first line you hear Emma Thompson say over the action. The wristwatch actually plays quite a large role in this film- it really determines the ending. And though your first thought might be that this would be a ridiculous film, think again. This film is excellent.
It's a story about a man, Harold(Will Ferell, in one of his best roles), who has lived his entire life in the most ordered and planned way possible- he does the exact same thing everyday. I mean, the man counts his brush strokes every morning while brushing his teeth! Then one day, he begins to hear a voice that is quite hilariously narrating his life. Then, the voice says he will die. Harold freaks, and sets off to try and discover what he can do about this very serious problem, and by doing so he starts a brand new life that will make him do things he never dared to do before. And yes, he stops counting his brush strokes.
Smartly, the film never comes off as heavy-handed or overly-dramatic. It keeps a light and very humorous tone throughout the whole film while still delivering a great story. Will Ferell gives a very sweet performance as Harold, and you can really connect with him as he changes. Dustin Hoffman is also good as the literary expert who Harold seeks out to help him discover who the voice narrating in his head. Queen Latifah does fine in her rather small part, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is enchanting and sweet as the woman Harold falls in love with. The best part of the film, though, is Emma Thompson's captivating performance as the author who is narrating in Harold's head and so desperately trying to kill him off in her latest book. She gives on of the best performances of the year and makes herself the stand-out of the film by far. But, we've come to expect such great performances of Ms. Thompson. She gives one of her best in this film.
This is an over-all fun, original, funny, and very sweet film. I've seen it twice in theaters, and plan to buy it on DVD. The underlying message about living your life for the best it can be, and the overlying sweetness and light-heartedness of the film work together perfectly to create one of the best films of the year. 9/10 stars!
Jay Addison