First, I have a stunning announcement - I have finally caved to the man and joined Netflix! It's true! I figured what with all the time I spend at work and then at a theater (and that's a stage theater, mind you, not a cinema), I don't have time to go to the movies or even to make umpteen trips to a rental store. So, I decided I would try this handy little service, which is fine by me because I love when things just appear at my house, like DVD's I've purchased or Harry Potter books. Online is my way to be.
I digress (again). The first movie in my queue was this little film, which came to me by way of several high recommendations from trusted sources. Plus, it stars my not-so-secret celebrity crush, Mr. Will Ferrell. Even when his movies are stupid and painful (Anchorman, anyone?), I still keep coming back for more because I find him so oddly appealing. And he is odd, so I can't explain this subtle attraction I have for him...anyways. Also, this movie has been a popular choice for Netflix users, so it was easy to add to my queue, considering how much I've been wanting to see it.
I must say, I really loved it. This film had me smiling from the first frame to the last. It has its (few) flaws, but the flaws themselves are sort of endearing, much like the flawed main characters of the piece.
Will plays Harold Crick, an IRS agent and an individual as ordinary as ordinary can be. He's living his meaningless, uneventful, uninspired, unfulfilled (and lonely) life when he suddenly realizes that his life is being narrated, so only he can hear it, by a female voice, who, in telling his story, indicates that he will die. The voice belongs to a struggling author, Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), who is certain her Harold will die, since she kills off heroes in all of her novels, but is struggling to find the inspiration as to how. Harold, thusly, enlists various sources of help, including that of a somewhat nutty literature professor played by Dustin Hoffman. He also encounters Maggie Gyllenhaal, a personality as opposite as can be, who opens him up to life's possibilities as much as the possibility of facing his own literary and literal demise.
In reading the All Movie Guide blurb at the bottom of this movie's Spout page, I noticed that AMG labeled Stranger Than Fiction "the best movie that Charlie Kaufman never wrote." I thought that was a stunningly apt description, because this film is very Kaufman-esque, and I thought so during the movie. There are many stories within stories to consider, but none is more compelling than Harold's. Mr. Ferrell's performance amazed me. In fact, I'm often amazed when the most hyperactive comedians tone it down and offer gripping, nuanced performances. He was so believable as this man, this Harold Crick, that I actually forgot it was Will Ferrell for a while, and isn't that really the goal of any performance? Also, that's the first time I've ever been able to say that about this particular actor, since he tends to have a distinct style of comedic performance; he's often very loud, for example, and he was only truly loud once while trying to address the disembodied voice directly (to great effect).
Emma Thompson was also stunning, as usual, when playing the decidedly quirky, chain-smoking author. The tics and tantrums that she had were interesting, but her performance became truly compelling when she realized that Harold was, in fact, a real person, and when she actually had a moral choice to make about his life as it related to her story.
The supporting performances were also very good, although good old Dustin struck me as playing a much more well-read version of himself. Of course, watching Mr. Hoffman reading the phone book would probably be entertaining, and he was kind of the perfect choice for this particular professor. The best supporting performance? Harold's wrist watch.
I think, ultimately, this movie worked for me because of how mundanely meaningful it turned out to be despite the extraordinary and highly original concept. The themes of seizing the day and facing life (or death) with zeal and no fear have been visited before but never quite like this. Also, I didn't go into this movie thinking it would be an uproarious comedy. I think that those who felt disappointed by it might have been under the impression that this was another of Will Ferrell's massively spastic comedies just because he was the star and because he's really never been in a movie like this and were probably surprised to find it was something quite different. PS, I commend him for broadening his acting repetoire. While I never laughed out loud, I always had a smile on my face, from the first words of Kay's describing Harold's run-of-the-mill existence, to the time when he realizes he's being narrated, to the consequences of Kay's ultimate choice. Plus, and I'll say it again - I never have been so taken with a wrist watch.
One flaw I particularly remember is that somewhere toward the middle of the film, the tempo slowed quite considerably. It was around the time Harold first visited Mr. Hoffman's professor and then kept returning in an effort to figure out what kind of story Harold was in (comedy versus tragedy and the like). I understand the point of the plot device, but it was overused to the point at which I felt the movie got bogged down a little in its own exposition. Let's put it this way: I felt myself getting a little sleepy on Harold's third or fourth visit and did not fully recover from this dozy feeling until Harold discovered the female voice in his head belonged to someone real. Believe me, sleepyness is very true benchmark I use when I judge a movie, particularly when I'm watching it in the middle or late afternoon, like I did this one.
Nevertheless, the heavy eyelids moments were few and short-lived. I really enjoyed this movie in the end; I was even moved to a few tears. For its minor flaw(s), I rate this movie an 8 or "very good." I also think it passes the test. I could imagine myself pulling this movie out for a giggle. After all, life really can be stranger than fiction - if it weren't, there would be no fiction at all.