Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) isn’t ready to die. Harold Crick is the main character of a book. The book is written by an author (Emma Thompson) who always kills her main characters. And Harold is the main character of that book. So, Harold is going to die. He finds this out by a voice in his head (the author) who says so. So Harold is scared, because Harold is a real person. He is very by the book, and relies on his wristwatch to help him through the day. Harold is an IRS agent who just fell in love with a girl (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and now really doesn’t want to die. So he tries to stop it. This premise is a very good one, and is remarkable at the very least. And this premise could have been thrown away into a pile of trash if it wasn’t handled right, but director Marc Foster brings a sense of energy to the film, and makes it a very enjoyable experience to watch. It clearly shows that he loves this film. However, I sadly can’t say the same thing for the screenwriter, Zach Helm, who I felt only wrote it for his paycheck. If this is true, I wouldn’t be totally surprised, as the characters feel cardboard more than once, and the jokes fall flat more often than hit the mark. That being said, this is more than a standard Ferrell comedy, this is a comedy-drama that has Will Ferrell in his role that we all will remember, a lot like Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Will Ferrell lands this role perfectly, and I believe he should have been nominated for an Oscar for his outstanding performance. However, on the other end of the spectrum, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ferrell’s counterpart, gives a performance even more cardboard than the character written out for her. I did not like her at all in this film. But in the end, it all evens out, into an enjoyable experience that is fun, if far from perfect.
8.5/10