2008 Woodie Awards
Stranger Than Fiction brings out best of Ferrell
Story, performances set movie apart from previous films
Mark Freeman
Issue date: 11/21/06 Section: Detour
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The film's unpredictable plot and twist of romance will probably disappoint those expecting another Anchorman or Talladega Nights. This is because Ferrell's role as Harold Crick, an IRS agent doomed to die, is not like the macho, silly characters he has played before. Instead, he is a confused soul trying to search for answers while fighting against fate.
Ferrell's character is stuck with a curious problem: he hears a voice in his head. The voice belongs to Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), an author writing a story about Harold, not knowing that he exists. Kay narrates his life, much to his displeasure and "with a better vocabulary."While Harold is certainly unnerved that the voice can sense his every thought it is only after the voice announces his imminent demise that he starts to worry.
Harold seeks out help in the form of Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), to try and understand the voice. Hoffman advises that Harold figure out whether he is in a comedy or a tragedy, thus determining his fate. "In a comedy you get hitched; in a tragedy you die," Hoffman explains nonchalantly. Harold sets out to find the mysterious voice - but along the way he finds love as well.
The idea of a serious romantic backstory in a Will Ferrell movie seems absurd. But Harold's pairing with baker Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal) works wonderfully and is arguably the strongest part of the movie. Gyllenhaal is sweet and sardonic as Ana, who is being audited by Ferrell. The two have several endearing scenes together - Harold brings her baking flour while she seduces him with cookies. It all seems wonderful, but it's ironic knowing Harold's ultimate fate.
Marc Forester, (Finding Neverland), does an excellent job of portraying Ferrell's character. He learns to live out his aspirations-rocking out on a beat up guitar-while shirking his loner lifestyle. As Harold nears his date with destiny, one actually cares about his situation, far different from Ferrell's previous characters such as Ron Burgundy or Ricky Bobby, who come across as stereotypically manly and wooden. Here, Harold doesn't take on zealous anchormen or gay French racers - he confronts Death itself.
This doesn't mean there aren't a few bumps in this otherwise enjoyable film. Queen Latifah stars as Penny Escher, a sort of pseudo-secretary to Kay who only talks about the dangers of smoking. Luckily her presence, along with Professor Hilbert's instant acceptance of Harold's situation (he seems to think people hear narrators in their heads all the time), only slightly spoil the film's allure.
While Anchorman was funny in a crude, kick-a-dog-off-a-bridge sort of way, Stranger Than Fiction utilizes Ferrell's comedic talent much more effectively. When accused of ogling Ana, Ferrell apologizes and explains that he was only doing it "as a representative of the United States government." The movie sprinkles its humorous moments-and there are quite a few-throughout the film instead of wasting them all in the first ten minutes. While this movie may not earn much money, Ferrell deserves credit for taking on a serious role- it's one of his best yet.