Stranger Than Fiction
Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images, sexuality, brief language and nudity.
reviewed by Steven Harrell
So admit it. Ever since “The Truman Show” and the advent of reality TV, everybody has wondered at least once if he or she is just a plotline in someone else’s story. Are there hidden cameras in my car? Is someone listening in on this phone call? In “Stranger than Fiction,” Harold Crick wakes up to find that he can hear the narration for his one by-the-numbers life.
Story
Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) lives his life according to a strict routine: brushing each tooth exactly 38 times, catching the same bus to work every morning, and filing paperwork at his job with the IRS. Everything changes, however, when one morning instead of hearing the swishing sound of his toothbrush he hears a woman’s voice narrating his life as it happens. Harold’s carefully organized existence is thrown into chaos as he tries to figure out what might be wrong with him by seeking first a psychiatrist and then a professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman).
It turns out that the voice is actually the once-famous novelist Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson) who is plagued by a bad case of writer’s block as she tells the story of a lonely IRS agent and his impending death. Under her narration and Professor Hilbert’s guidance, Harold’s life moves back and forth between comedy and tragedy as he initiates a relationship with a tattooed baker named Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal), moves in with his friend Dave (Tony Hale), and fulfills his life long dream of learning how to play the guitar. The only thing left for both the writer and character to figure out is just how (and how fast) the last chapter of Harold’s life will play out.
Verdict
One of the most important things I’ve learned by writing movie reviews is that not every movie is meant for everyone to enjoy. “Aquamarine,” which came out earlier this year, is a movie about a mermaid who goes shopping with 12-year-old girls and giggles about boys. Does that mean “Aquamarine” is a bad movie? Not necessarily. From what I understand, most middle school girls loved this movie while most others ignored it. It’s all a matter of perspective. “Stranger than Fiction” is similar. I understand that probably not everybody will like Will Ferrell’s attempt at a serious role. It’s quirky, metaphysical, and occasionally seems a little too proud of its own cleverness. However, if you’re anything like me and you really enjoy literature, like eccentric characters, and think the idea of a novel told from the perspective of an IRS agent’s wristwatch is nothing short of genius than you need to stop surfing the Internet and go see “Stranger than Fiction” as soon as possible.
Will Ferrell delivers an excellent performance in his first mainstream serious role. Okay, “serious” might be too strong of a word to describe a character who hears voices but immediately rules out schizophrenia, but Harold Crick is still a long way away from previous Ferrell incarnations like Ron Burgundy and Mugatu. I really enjoyed the way Ferrell fashions the character of Harold Crick, harnessing his usually outlandish expressions into a simple, boring tax man. By keeping himself straight faced, the silliness of what is going on around him is made all the more believable and hysterical. Dustin Hoffman is just as funny as the eccentric literature professor who doubles as a lifeguard. The interactions between the two almost brought me to tears, especially in a particular scene when Hoffman devises a checklist of questions to discover exactly what kind of story Harold might be in.
Another strength of the movie has to do with what’s going on behind the camera. Newcomer Zach Helm’s creative script is excellent in both its quirky premise and its crisp and witty dialogue. I think one of the reasons the script is so good is that it takes the metaphysical weirdness just far enough to reach the heights of funny, but doesn’t take it so far as to cheapen the whole experience by making it too intellectual. Also, director Marc Forester (“Finding Neverland”) creates engaging visuals, especially the 2-D numbers and charts that seem to come out of Crick’s head as he does multiplication, counts the number of steps on his way to work, and even determines that the bathroom soap dispenser is exactly 78 percent full. The extra visual stimulus, along with some really crisp looking shots, all combine to make this movie as much fun to watch as it is to try and understand.
The film is rated PG-13 for some language, brief sexual dialogue, and scenes of a couple making out before sex. The “disturbing images” come from Eiffel’s imagination as she seeks inspiration for how exactly to kill her main character. Also disturbing: a brief shot from behind of some very old and very naked guys in a locker room.
Worldview:
There’s an interesting idea present in “Stranger than Fiction.” After Dr. Hilbert decides to help Crick, he suggests that Crick simply stay home and not do anything for an entire day in order to see if the narrator is writing the story herself or just narrating it as it happens. It turns out in fact Crick is no longer in total control of his own life. On the other hand, he can still make decisions that can affect the course of his day. It brings up the age old debate of free will versus divine fate that Christians and ancient philosophers alike have discussed for centuries and that the movie avoids answering in any kind of absolute way.
Another interesting notion is explored at the end of the movie. [Warning: While nothing extremely important will be given away in the following lines, I’d suggest that if you want to go into the movie with a totally clean slate you should come back to this section after you’ve seen it.] After meeting Harold, the author Eiffel is distraught over the fact that if she completes her novel she’ll actually kill a real person. The fact that Harold accepts that fate makes it even more difficult for her.
In the final narration of the movie, she muses over the idea that while any man who risks his life for another person is a good man, a man who faces death willingly to save someone else is a truly great man. As Christians, we know a man like that. When Jesus Christ came to earth, He knew He would die and still came in order to save mankind from our own sin. Christ is the epitome of Eiffel’s ideals of sacrifice and honor, and it’s important to keep that in mind. After all, the story of Christ’s redemptive work is the greatest story ever told. Because of course, unlike Harold Crick’s tale, Christ’s story is actually true.
Questions:
• How do you think Will Ferrell did as a more serious character? Would you rather see him in another movie like “Anchorman” or in another movie like “Stranger than Fiction”?
• Do you have any quirks like counting brushstrokes or stairs? What are they?
• What did you think about the ending? Did you expect it? Did you enjoy it?
• Why do you think Harold was attracted to Ana?
• Do you ever secretly wonder if you’re just a character in a story? Or am I the only one with such an overactive imagination?
• What do you think of Eiffel’s description of a great man? Is it better to save someone else by risking your life or by knowingly giving up your life?
• Why do you think people say that the Gospel is the greatest story ever told? Besides sacrifice, what are other themes present in the Gospel story that are common to other stories?