Writing About Writing (Spoilers! -- Caution)

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2008)

Spoilers -- really, this is an odd movie; and to write about it with any sort of precision or detail (of even the most vague sort) is impossible.
There is something about writing, for a writer, that draw him (or her of course) to the very act of writing. Meaning writing about writing.
Problem is, again of course, that writing isn't that interesting. It's actually kind of boring. Don't know who said it, only know that Oscar Madison in the TV Series the Odd Couple said (when trying to write a book): "I hate writing, but I love having written." In this story (and I knew nothing of it before seeing it late at night on a cable channel, I think the best way to do so, so really, anyone who wants to watch it should avoid spoilers as best they can), the main character is an anal sort, meticulous in every way, mathematically a savant, an idiot in other ways -- mainly socially.
And the voice over, a woman describing his actions as he goes to work, does his daily routing, an incredibly boring individual, in every way.
Then it comes to pass that he is a character in a book being written by an author who is stricken by the mother of all writer's block.
It doesn't really all work, though it really is sort of interesting. Will Ferrell, when he starts his realization that he can hear the narrative of his life, is shocked to hear this. Later he comes to the realization that his life is being narrated. But as the narration continues, it sort of comes in an out of consciousness. He hears it sometimes, and then it sometimes seems he doesn't. That's distracting.
The movie is heavily plot driven, meaning, as viewers, I'd suggest, we're all waiting for the next development. An example: Harold Crick (sp?), the lead character, in guidance from a literature teacher (Dustin Hoffman, in a great coffee swilling performance) decides to do nothing. Just sit around and watch TV so the plot can't go forward.
What happens? A crane comes bashing into his apartment, by mistake, to move the plot along. Of course that doesn't really make too much sense since the author is blocked, so the character's inertia isn't too much of a stretch. Then again, the writer's block really stems from her guilt about killing off her characters, and she really kind of likes Harold Crick, and can't manage to find a way to destroy his life.
There's sort of a love story involved between the IRS auditor Harold C. and a tax scofflaw who refuses to pay her taxes (usual silly nonsense about defense and bank bailouts and such). It's probably just me, but the character and the actor (Ferrell) does not a love story make, just not great raw material for romance.
Plus the narration, and nice as it is, as the plot progresses, becomes less and less relevant, and more and more silly and incongruous if one takes the previous story line at all seriously -- who knows, maybe that's the point, stretching the willing suspension of disbelief can only be, well, stretched so far.
There are elements here and there that contribute to the plot, a little kid on his bike, the guy at the office that sort of passes at a friend, the weird boss, and the assistant to the author played by Queen Latifah, mercifully employing less than her usually annoying sass.
To conclude, writing about writing is boring. Writing about writing about writing hopefully isn't quite so much. This movie about writing about writing about writing (and then this review is writing about that). All so self referential.
I suppose the only thing that's left to say (or write), is that the story about Harold Crick actually isn't that interesting. It's all the story and plot that surrounds him that makes the movie interesting. Lots of philosophy here, how one treats death, how one deal with life, the things about what makes life wonderful. All that.
Oh yeah, and a bit of bakery too, I don't, but who else doesn't like sugar cookies?