Will Ferrell in Stranger than Fiction
© Sony
Reviewed Format: Theatrical Release
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah
Writer: Zach Helm
Director: Marc Forster
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
"Stranger Than Fiction"
By: Abbie BernsteinDate: Friday, November 10, 2006
One of the most pleasant aspects of Stranger Than Fiction is that neither writer Zach Helm nor director Marc Forster nor leading man Will Ferrell use the story’s reality-bending premise as a license to go over the top. The result is something that has the relentless logic of a dream – it makes perfect sense unto itself as long as you’re in it, and even though part of you knows that certain aspects of this are at odds with reality, you somehow take it in stride.
In Stranger Than Fiction, I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick (Ferrell) is leading a life of extreme tedium when, one day, he hears a voice coming from nowhere that narrates his every move. The voice is cultured, British and female, and it belongs to author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson). Harold has never heard of Kay and in fact doesn’t do much reading – he can’t figure out where the voice is coming from or how it can know exactly what he’s doing and thinking at every moment. Not sure what’s happening to him, Harold sensibly seeks professional help, which lands him first in the office of a psychiatrist (an amusing cameo by Linda Hunt), and then that of a university professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman). Meanwhile, Kay has problems of her own – she’s got a ferocious case of writer’s block stemming from her inability to figure out how to kill off her new novel’s main character: Harold Crick.
Every time you think you have the next plot twist pegged, Helm’s script makes a deadpan swerve that surprises. There is a lot of thought here – about life, the creative process and the purpose of cookies in the universe, among many other things – but because the filmmakers have such a cohesive vision what they’re putting forward, it’s always quietly droll rather than bombastic. Ferrell gives a touchingly restrained performance and Thompson gives the neurotic writer a sense of genuine intelligence and decency. Hoffman as the professor who becomes Harold’s advisor has a twinkly, avuncular quality that never winks at even his most outrageous lines. Maggie Gyllenhaal as a baker with a commitment to her work is sly and engaging and Queen Latifah projects a strong sense of work ethic as Kay’s new assistant.
There’s little one can say about the structure without giving the game away, but the story is constructed with both skill and heart. Director Forster keeps the pace smooth and brisk, so that we’re constantly involved and frequently surprised and the dialogue is an ongoing delight. This is a fantasy that maintains a sense of the real world, making the “what-if” relatable while keeping it fascinating.
