STRANGER THAN FICTION

BRIAN REITZELL

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As Heard in the Film review by Clark Douglas: Harold Crick is one of the most extraordinarily mundane people you will ever meet. He is a quiet, peaceful IRS agent with very few friends and no social skills. He has each and every day planned out to the very second. He is by no means the sort of person who never actively seeks romance or adventure, and he is perfectly content and comfortable that why. The man doesn't particularly sound like a potentially great literary figure, but that is exactly what he is. Harold begins to hear a voice in his head, a narrator of sorts, describing his actions "accurately and with a better vocabulary."

The voice belongs to a real person named Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson, wonderfully disheveled), an acclaimed novelist. Karen is a chain-smoking recluse who can't seem to find an ending to her book... a book she's writing about Harold Crick, who she does not know really exists. Nor does she know that everything she writes about Harold really happens to Harold... especially considering that's she's planning to kill him off, as she does all the characters in her novels. Fortunately for our protagonist, she is struggling with writer's block. She has her problems, he has his. She gets the unwanted help of a live-in secretary (Queen Latifah) from her publisher, Harold solicits the help of a literary scholar, Dr. Jules Hilbert (a terrific supporting turn by Dustin Hoffman).

Considering the fact that the film stars Will Ferrell, this sounds like the set-up to a comedy. "Stranger than Fiction" could've easily gone the route of Adam Sandler's "Click", taking a high concept plot and filling it with silly, obvious gags. Yes, the movie is occasionally funny, but under the guidance of director Marc Forster, it becomes something more. Much like a Charlie Kaufman film ("Being John Malkovich", "Adaptation", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"), "Stranger than Fiction" begins to really explore it's premise and works on numerous fascinating levels.

With the help of Dr. Hilbert, Harold sets out to find out whether his story is a comedy or a tragedy... there are certainly a lot of arguments for both sides, and one could say the same thing about Forster's film. It is a pleasant and agreeable movie, but not so comfortable or predictable that we're positive Harold won't be killed, after all. The viewpoint of the Hoffman character is coldly fascinating... he sees the world in literary terms, he is the sort of person who would gladly sacrifice himself for the sake of a truly great piece of art. For him, meeting Harold is like an opportunity to interact and personally observe a protagonist being written about by an author Hoffman is obsessed with. "Little did he know? She said that? I did a whole seminar on little did he know!" To Dr. Hilbert, Harold is merely the literary protagonist, who must go to whatever end is necessary to allow great art to thrive.

While Hoffman's performance was the standout for me, all the actors find the right notes for their role. Thompson is equally steely and tattered in a solid role as Karen Eiffel, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is sheer perfection as a baker Harold falls in love with. Meanwhile, Will Ferrell is perfectly solid in his quiet leading role, he projects a kind of childlike innocence that's unexpectedly touching. Queen Latifah refreshingly shows admirable restraint here, but unfortunately, her character is entirely unnecessary to the proceedings.

The soundtrack for "Stranger than Fiction" is an eclectic and appealing mix. Forster had wanted to use several songs from the indie rock band Spoon during the film, so he went the extra mile and hired Spoon lead singer/guitarist Britt Daniel to co-write the score with Brian Reitzell. The Spoon songs utilized throughout the film are quite effective, particularly "My Mathematical Mind" and the super-catchy "The Way We Get By". The score is basically an extension of the general sound of the songs, a few nice pieces of piano-driven indie pop/rock. I'll admit, the single most memorable piece of music in the film comes from none other than Vangelis, as his beautiful "La Petite Fille de La Mer" plays during a pivotal scene late in the film. Ferrell also winds up playing and singing "Whole Wide World" on the guitar.

Director Marc Forster creates a remarkable series of events in the final third of the film which I will not reveal. Some may call his ending compromised, which it is, but that's precisely his point. In sacrificing a certain kind of cinematic greatness, he finds something else that is perhaps even more appropriate. Certainly not as grand or memorable as what could have been, but when you think about it, it's the perfect conclusion. Forster is a real talent and a sharp cookie who has been unfortunately misunderstood by a lot of critics and audiences. While it's easy to admire his "Monster's Ball" and enjoy his "Finding Neverland", his recent work has polarized a lot of people. I felt like "Stay" was a terrific film, most others felt like it was either pretentious or confusing or both. Here, I think Forster has found a way to have his cake and eat it, too. He has crafted an intelligent, funny, and moving essay of cinema, literature, life, and storytelling in general, all in the guise of a sweet-natured concept comedy. It's as brilliant as it is charming. Highly recommended.

Track Listing: Sony (2006)

Running Time: ## minutes ## seconds

Music composed by Brian Reitzell. Orchestrated and arranged by Roger Neill. Additional music by Britt Daniel. Edited by Stephanie Lowry and Erica Weis. Score produced by Brian Reitzell.

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