Posted by
Emmett of the Unblinking Eye on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 10:11:04 AM
It's true that when you think about
Will Ferrell, the last thing you imagine is a mature, studied performance. Yet that's exactly what you get in
Stranger Than Fiction, a truly wonderful film that brightens up the pre-Thanksgiving season.
Ferrell plays Harold Crick, an IRS auditor so lonely and isolated that he doesn't realize he is either. When his life is invaded by the voice of someone narrating his every move (
Emma Thompson, always wonderful), things begin to change. Guided by a literature professor (
Dustin Hoffman) trying to determine whether Crick's life is a comedy or a tragedy, he begins a desperate search for the narrator before she bumps him off. Is it predestined, can he change it on his own, or will he need help? And will he get it.
The movie is well-written (
Zach Helm), well-directed (
Marc Forster of
Finding Neverland and
Monster's Ball), and extremely well acted. All of the leads (Ferrell, Thompson, Hoffman, and particularly
Maggie Gyllenhaal as Ferrell's love interest, are absolutely wonderful. Clearly one of the best movies of the year, it's well worth your entertainment dollar.