Stranger Than Fiction

“Fantastic!” That was the word going through my mind as the credits rolled. So far this year, my number one movie has been Thank You For Smoking; but I’m now thinking that Stranger Than Fiction deserves the top spot. While both films have superb acting, interesting characters and funky editing, Fiction has a better storyline with characters that I actually care about. I could see myself applauding an epic or action-packed movie as fantastic but what Stranger Than Fiction is missing in panoramic battles and explosions, it makes up for with subtlety and brilliance.

Stranger Than Fiction is a nicely-paced story of Harold Crick, a mediocre IRS agent who also happens to be a doomed character in an author’s next novel. When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was instantly intrigued with the fun concept of having someone narrating your life as you live it. At the same time, I worried that this device might get annoying after awhile. Fortunately, first-time writer Zach Helm knows what he’s doing and perfectly justifies why and when the narrator intrudes. Stranger Than Fiction does a great job exploring the fundamentals of literary genre with help of Dustin Hoffman’s character. I, myself, love breaking down genres and seeing what makes them tick. I also like how uplifting this story was with its carpe diem message; something you rarely get treated to in today’s day and age.

The acting in Stranger than Fiction is nothing short of amazing. Dustin Hoffman (Meet the Fockers, Finding Neverland) channels his role from I Heart Huckabees, as a literary professor, Emma Thompson (Love Actually, Angels in America) is oddly captivating as an author with writer’s block, Maggie Gyllenhaal (World Trade Center, Secretary) is unbelievably sweet as the baker with IRS problems, and Tony Hale (Arrested Development) is a breath of fresh air as Harold’s only friend. Of course, the standout is none other than Will Ferrell (Ricky Bobby, Elf, Old School) who is amazing to watch as a perfectly normal individual. With the help of director Marc Forrester (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland), Ferrell manages to play the character straight without being boring. There’s no mugging for the camera or take-offs on any of his SNL characters; it’s great material like this that allows me to forgive him for making the disastrous Bewitched last year. I would be overjoyed to see Will Ferrell get an Oscar nomination out of this, he’s that good.

The cool thing about Stranger Than Fiction and Thank You For Smoking is that these films are done by newcomers. Fiction’s writer had only written a TV episode and TV movie before, Smoking’s writer/director Jason Reitman had only done a couple of direct-to-video smalltime films. It’s nice to see some fresh blood being pumped into the Hollywood machine. I also enjoy how both movies used the new trend of titling on film to emphasis narration; I guess it’s true that great minds think alike.

To sum things up: SEE THIS FILM! Don’t wait for the DVD. Go to the crowded movie theatre and share in the laughter, the love and the life found in Stranger Than Fiction. I do apologize if I have made expectations too high, but I do believe that this is the best film of the year so far. Take that Borat.