Stranger Than Fiction

When I rented this movie, I expected your typical Will Ferrell movie. I’ve seen the previews about a year ago, with the earlier ones portrayed it as such… well partially anyways, showcasing scenes of Ferrell and his (un)usual style of humor. About 20 minutes into the movie, I realized that it carried a much more serious overtone than his previous works.

This led me to question… how good is Will Ferrell in a more serious role? With roles like Mustafa from Austin Powers to Frank the Tank streaking down the street in Old School, I wasn’t too optimistic. Turns out, he fit this movie perfectly. The story revolves around IRS Agent Harold Crick (Ferrell), who lives in an apartment resembling a motel room, and lives his life following a strict routine and schedule. One day, he starts hearing a voice in his head, a narrative voice, that at first describes what he has just done, eventually predicting things just before they are about to happen.

One day, while waiting at a bus stop, the voice narrates that he’s on his way to his future death. Then… silence. Horrified, the story follows Crick as he searches for answers regarding death, as well as the narrative voice itself, which turns out to be a novelist (Emma Thompson) writing a book about an IRS agent named Harold Crick. That’s pretty much as much as I can explain without ruining the movie… I’m sure if you’ve seen the trailer you’ve seen this much.

This movie brought a very important message to the table… and that is to live life to the fullest. As regular readers of my forum have seen, I personally live my life to the fullest, trying to enjoy everything I can as if tomorrow may be my last day on earth. You only live once, so might as well enjoy everything life has to offer, even if it disagrees or hell, even offends people who believe in following what society deems “normal”.

If you are a Will Ferrell fan, this movie is a must watch, as it shows that Ferrell, much like Steve Martin, has the ability to act as well as humor the audience. I won’t go and ruin the ending, but it’s nice to know that Tragedy can be as powerful and entertaining as Comedy.


Posted In: Entertainment, Movies