Mais Estranho que a Ficção

"Stranger than Fiction" is the complex tale of a simple IRS man named Harold Crick (an appealing Will Ferrel) who one day awakes to his own voice-over narration only to find he is the unwitting main character in the new tragic novel from acclaimed author Karen Eiffel (an excellent return to form for Emma Thompson). Imagine a Charlie Kaufman penned film where all the cynicism and nihilism is replaced with an endearing and heartfelt melancholy that creates a surprising amount of emotional involvement in characters who would've otherwise been over-reaching literacy devices, and you'll get a feel for the sincere type of entertainment Marc Forster's film provides.

Forster, with his keen eye and eclectic visual sense, populates the film the sharp and contrasting visual angles, camera tricks, and in-frame oddities (like the play with numbers) constantly keeping the viewer engaged and on their toes. Fun supporting turns from Dustin Hoffman as a literary theorist employed by Krick to help find out if the story he is in is a comedy or tragedy, and Queen Latifah as Eiffel's no-nonsense publishing assistant help guide the viewers through imaginative stretches that are occasionally too clever by half. Ferrel gets to show some nice range here, and much like Robin Williams did with "The World According to Garp" and Jim Carrey did with "The Truman Show," graduates with honors into more high-minded quasi-serious roles. His co-lead Thompson is subtly method and well studied as the reclusive sociopathic author who just can't help killing her characters.

What really seals the deal is Maggie Gyllenhal as Farrell's love interest, the anti-establishment baker he is assigned to audit. She literally lights up the screen. There's one expertly framed and perfectly lit shot of her standing outside her townhouse inviting Farrel in for the night where the light from street lamp off screen is filtered in through the shadows of tree branches and hits her face in such a way that in that brief flickering frame you become insanely happy to be watching such a pleasant marriage of literary concepts inside a visual medium. At this point you don't care how the film ends. You're just grateful to experience that giddy moment of pure movie entertainment.

As the years have gone on I have come to realize that this, not the original Star Wars, is my favorite movie. And, having just re-watched it for the umpteenth time, I decided it was high time I left a review somewhere. I am a cynical person, I don't believe in a lot, I don't believe in love at first sight, or the power of the human spirit, or in humanity in general really. My brother tells me that makes me a misanthrope, and I don't disagree. If I sit down to watch Star Wars for example, I can't help but loudly and frequently pick apart its many flaws: the hammy acting from the extras, the dated special effects, the story as a whole, yadda yadda. But every. single. time. I sit down to watch Stranger than Fiction I find it akin to slipping my aching body into a warm bath after a looong day, my jaded personality submerging beneath the gentle and comforting weight of the familiar story. Will Farrell is a clown most days, making such masterpieces as Anchorman and Ricky Bobby (that was sarcasm), but in this movie he stands shoulder to shoulder with cinematic giants like Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson and he SHINES as Harold Crick, his performance subtle and low key, but poignant and introspective. This of course stands in contrast to Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'Miss Pascal': so vibrant and full of life, with a kind and warm personality that is undiminished by an occasionally fiery temper. Whenever she comes on screen with her passion and femininity I can't help but empathize with Harold, because with each touch and sigh from Maggie I inevitably want her as badly as he does. The two of them coming together is like that bath we talked about, or a hug from someone you love after far too long apart. But setting aside the love interest, the story itself is so much fun to experience: that of a character who is not supposed to know about his impending demise, yet does, and how that knowledge spurs him to embrace his life, however long it shall be. Sentimental? Absolutely. So what? 10 Stars. People more cynical then myself will throw shade at this film, and I strongly urge them to go and eat a cookie.

I have been very surprised recently that I have actually enjoyed several Will Ferrell movies. Why surprised? Well, to put it bluntly, most films made by ex-Saturday Night Live performers have been pretty wretched (though there are some exceptions) and I usually avoid them like the plague. With films like DR. DETROIT, NEIGHBORS, A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY, FUNNY FARM, BEST DEFENSE, HERE'S PAT, etc., it's easy to understand my misgivings. However, despite my strong bias, I must admit I really enjoyed TALLADEGA NIGHTS as well as STRANGER THAN FICTION--though they are both very, very different movies.

While TALLADEGA NIGHTS is extremely silly and a great parody, STRANGER THAN FICTION is not exactly a comedy, though it has some nice comedic moments. Instead, it's a fantasy, comedy and romance all rolled into one and it was nice to see Ferrell finally underplay a role. His character was extremely obsessive-compulsive and emotionally constricted--yet this was NOT played for laughs--an excellent decision.

The film initially seems a lot like the old skits on "The Carol Burnett Show" which featured a writer typing a story and you saw actors playing it out as if they were real. However, the simple story idea was drawn out but didn't seem padded and offered some lovely insights into deeper philosophical issues. It was NOT a film for dopey teens or an undemanding audience, but a thoughtful and intelligently constructed film that caught my interest.

If you are looking for screwball comedy or lots of laughs, then you will no doubt be disappointed. However, if you watch the film with few preconceptions and expectations and have an open mind, I am sure you'll enjoy the film. It's nice to see that I was wrong about the film and the "SNL curse" did not seem to apply.

With his unassuming eyes and sheepish, "awe shucks!" demeanor, Will Ferrell is quite simply the guy you root for—the eternal boy trapped in a gangly 6'3" frame. Just a single look can make you giggle and smile so effortlessly that you're often unaware that you're actually doing it. It is with this notion that Stranger than Fiction—Ferrell's first major foray into a theatrical world outside the realm of in-your-face frat boy silliness—just makes sense. By surrounding Ferrell's charisma with a subdued, darkly comic script and a talented supporting cast, we get a film that is both fresh and heartfelt.

Directed by Marc Forster and penned by Zach Helm, Stranger than Fiction is an odd mix-mash, combining a standard comedy with existentialist ideas. Number crunching IRS agent and genuine loser, Harold Crick (Ferrell) one day wakes up to find his life being narrated word for word by burnt out writer Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson). Odd thing is, Eiffel is writing an actual book where Crick just happens to be the main character. To make matters worse, she plans on killing him off as soon as she can make it through a particularly arduous stretch of writer's block.

Originality is one thing that is absent from a majority of contemporary Hollywood pictures, so Fiction immediately gets points for simply trying something different. I suppose it's icing on the cake that the film is genuinely good. Crick, knowing that is death is imminent, begins to break out of his cloistered shell and to experience the fruits of his life. And, in the process he forms a bond with a tax breaking baker (Gyllenhal) and seeks advice from a literature professor, played by a particularly charming Dustin Hoffman

However, even though it is well intentioned, the execution isn't flawless. The romance that develops between Gyllenhal's outcast baker and Ferrell's strait-laced Crick doesn't feel entirely organic. We admire the relationship and smile at its sugar coated sweetness, but we don't necessarily believe their connection. It may taste good, but it doesn't exactly wash down smoothly. Neither, does the film's over reliance on reinforcing generic, "Carpe Diem" philosophies. Towards the second act, things do get sappy. Luckily, by the conclusion, the plot has bounced back to a wonderful limbo of both oddly comic and genuinely heartwarming moments.

For all its flaws, Stranger than Fiction, works. Like a good novel, Forster has fashioned something that is strange, stylistic, and unexpectedly inspiring. And, despite the chinks in its existentialist armor, that's surely something worth writing home about.

I saw an advanced screening of Stranger than Fiction tonight on the Sony lot, as part of the Merrill Lynch media conference being held this week in Pasadena, CA.

I hadn't heard much about this movie prior to seeing it tonight, so I had NO expectations, which is really how I like to see a movie (without any preconceived notions, good or bad).

The movie was very well acted, and told an interesting story. I kind of look at Will Ferrell in this movie the way I looked at Adam Sandler after "Punch Drunk Love". You're not sure how to react to Ferrell/Sandler's on-screen persona's, as up to this point, you've always thought of them as the funny men, who couldn't (or wouldn't) attempt a more dramatic role. For Ferrell, who's probably at the height of his popularity, this was a good move for him, as well as an ideal role.

All in all, I really liked this movie, and I would definitely recommend it to friends/family.