Harold Crick lived an ordinary and uneventful life as an auditor for the IRS. Then he started hearing a voice inside his head. In spite of proclamations from psychiatrists that he might be insane, Harold (Will Ferrell) knew the voice was real, for it described his life with accurate detail. The voice also stated his death was imminent. In Stranger Than Fiction, Harold works to get to the bottom of his problem.

The voice in Harold's head belongs to Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a best-selling novelist at work on her latest book. However, she has writer's block, so her publisher sends their top assistant, Penny Escher (Queen Latifah), to type and to be available for anything Karen needs to finish her project. Harold, meanwhile, seeks the help of literature professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) to learn the identity of the voice. After numerous tests by Hilbert, Harold discovers Karen's identity by watching TV in the professor's office. Harold finds a way to meet the reclusive Karen and begs her to stop what she's doing. This creates a quandary with Karen, Harold, and the literary community who loves what they've read of the book.

In spite of the distractions, Harold continues with his auditing work. He meets with bakery owner Anna Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who has deliberately underpaid her taxes. Further, she makes a nuisance of herself simply because he's from the IRS. Something about the incident strikes a chord in Harold, and he starts acting unprofessionally. Anna soon discovers she likes Harold, and he her.

I enjoy the whimsical, inventive story, which was written by first-time screenwriter Zach Helm. It's reminiscent of some of Woody Allen's work, especially The Purple Rose Of Cairo, where characters develop a life of their own. Karen's writings have a direct effect on Harold. Ferrell gives yet another enjoyable performance as a man-child who lives only for his work. I especially like his scenes with Gyllenhaal, as both characters see how much they could have been like the other. Thompson is also strong as a writer who never expected her words to have the effect they have on Harold. Hoffman is funny as the professor trying to help Harold. While I enjoyed Queen Latifah's performance, I wish she'd been given more to do besides push Karen. Stranger Than Fiction shows another part of the range of Marc Forster, whose previous two films were Monster's Ball and Finding Neverland.

Will Harold live or won't he? All of Karen's novels end in death. She just never realized there was a real Harold Crick who was much like her creation. Stranger Than Fiction succeeds at being both funny and touching. Harold's a good guy who never knew or shared much of his goodness. The prospect of death made him grow into the man he wished he'd been already. While truth may be stranger than fiction, Harold learns to make something less ordinary of the time he had remaining.


This is an entry in Lean-N-Mean V.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older