Stranger Than Fiction starring Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhall, as I said above, was released in 2006. This is probably only the second Will Ferrell movie that gets my stamp of approval. I am not much of a fan of the straight up comedy movies. They are in most cases just too silly for me. However, I did enjoy Elf! In many ways, Stranger Than Fiction, wasn't really your typical Will Ferrell movie. Will's character, Harold Crick, is a little stiff, after all he is a taxman. So in this case, stiff works just fine. Crick is a genius with numbers, but he counts too much, values his wrist watch like a best friend, all of which leads to very little actual social interaction. Overall, as you can imagine, he leads a very boring and lonely life. However, on one "nothing special, it's just a plain old normal Wednesday", Harold starts hearing a voice. Not only is he hearing a voice, but the voice is predicting his every move, and more importantly, his every thought. Suddenly, he realizes that he is in fact hearing, struggling author, Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson) narrating his life. Also on this particular Wednesday, Harold meets strong willed, but generous natured Ana (played by Maggie Gyllenhall). He is suppose to be conducting an audit on Ana (this unusually, yet beautiful baker). She has intentionally decided not to pay a percentage of her taxes and decides to make Harold's job of conducting an audit as difficult as possible. A fight these two very unlikely love birds will never resolve. Then, right when life was getting a little brighter, a little problem occurs. Yes, a problem besides the voice in Harold's head, or the baker that he is falling in love with that doesn't want to pay her taxes. Yes, there was yet another problem. Harold hears the narrator of his life say in passing that he is going to die....OH NO! So, he enlists Professor Jules Hilbert(played by Dustin Hoffman) to help him figure out if his life is destine to become a tragedy or a comedy as the plot keeps unfolding in his head...... I will leave the rest as a mystery, so that if you haven't already seen this, out of the norm, Will Ferrell film, you can enjoy the ending for yourself. Tragedy or Comedy? What will the struggling, chain smoking, over analytical, author who always kills the hero write for the IRS man Harold Crick, and does she really control his fate?
P.S. My favorite part of the movie is when Harold Crick brings 'FLOURS' to Ana, the beautiful baker. I know it's cheesy but I thought it was so thoughtful =)...Feel free to comment and let me know your favorite part of the movie!
