For those people that truly love going to the movies, there are, on rare occasions, films that momentarily jolt, jar, move and inspire the soul upon the end credits rolling; they make you feel as though you can conquer the world, or at least throw it a hard punch in the jaw. I am happy to say the recent release “Stranger Than Fiction,” starring Will Ferrel, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Emma Thompson, does just that.

The premise is an unusual one, in the vein of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” or “Punch-Drunk Love.” An IRS agent, Harold Crick, wakes up one morning to hear his life narrated by a woman’s voice, describing what he’s doing “accurately and with a better vocabulary.” Needless to say, his co-workers and a psychologist find this hard to believe…especially since Harold is the only one who can hear the British voiceover. Meanwhile, he is tasked with auditing a woman named Ana, an anarchist baker who is out to make Harold’s job as difficult and joyless as possible. However, in each other they find a spark of something they never imagined they would, and just as Harold thinks he may be finding meaning in a life shaped by time, calculations, and manilla file folders, the voice informs him that he will soon meet his demise. Thus, the stage is set, and our unlikely protagonist must uncover exactly what forces are shaping his destiny.

I am the first to admit, these kind of movies typically only draw a certain crowd, and of that crowd, only a percentage seem to really receive them with an open mouth and a hearty appetite. (I remember seeing “Eternal Sunshine…” in the theater, being blown away, and as the lights came up, a grad student sitting immediately behind me exlcaimed “that was so stupid; I could’ve done better than that.” You’ve got to love all the connoisseurs in DC.) But I believe if you are actually reading this, than you, kind sir or madame, are the type who will fall in love with this movie.

While the entire cast put in a stellar performance, it must be pointed out that Will Ferrel, when reined in and kept to a script, is superb. After seeing the movie, I could think of no one else who could possibly be Harold Crick. And while he was as far from Ricky Bobby or Ron Begundy as possible in this role, he was still immensely funny, while also pulling heartstrings and mindstrings. (Yes, your mind does have strings. Ask any mindstringologist).

The execution of this film also deserves some discussion. It is made very clear that Harold Crick is slightly obessive-compulsive, and very mathematically minded through the use of subtle computer animations. As he is walking around, the director illustrates the working of Harold’s mind with various calculations, estimations, and charts that appear and disappear organically. It really must be seen to be appreciated.

Furthermore, many of the settings in the film (the Anarchist Bakery, the unversity, the filing room) are rendered with exceptional style and grace. The Bakery, where harold must audit Ana, is warm and inviting—nearly imaginary looking—with a great round window looking out on the world and a population of punks, ragamuffins, and outsiders who are loyal to Ana’s baked goods. The University is large and open, composed of gray concrete, but made warm by Professor Hilbert’s affects and his eccentric, literary ways. The filing room at Harold’s IRS office is vast, stark, and white—with file drawers from floor to ceiling—in which the only color is provided by the manilla folders and Harold as he pateintly files them away.

Finally, the choice to use the music of Spoon for nearly the entire soundtrack was an inspired one. Its hard for me to listen to some of their songs now without thinking of the scenes they supported. Truly a match made in scoring heaven.

Now, I realize I am writing this review nearly a month after “Stranger Than Fiction’s” release. But I do so with good reason—even after a month, this movie (its plot, its characters, its dialogue and scenes) are still leasing small apartments in my brain. Meanwhile, it seems outside the inner walk-up of my mind, the film isn’t doing terribly well. Frankly, I think this is a shame…in fact, I think you should all feel ashamed. Earn your penitence by seeing this movie wherever you can. Drive a half-hour, if you must. It’s that good.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 22nd, 2006 at 12:53 pm and is filed under film. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.