'Stranger Than Fiction' Comes to DVD

DVD Review

By: Daniel Gross

Posted: 2/28/07

"Stranger than Fiction," the new, surprisingly serious Will Ferrell movie, is now out on DVD. Directed by Marc Forster ("Finding Neverland"), with a much-buzzed about debut script from screenwriter Zach Helm.

It is a fairly decent movie, but not without one large flaw that ends the movie on a troubled note. For the most part, it is a very insightful, intelligent, whimsical and absolutely original comedy-drama. The eclectic cast consists of Will Ferrell ("Old School"), Dustin Hoffman ("Wag the Dog"), Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Donnie Darko"), Queen Latifah ("Chicago"), and Emma Thompson ("Love Actually").

As can be expected, the movie comes with a genuinely clever plot. Acclaimed author Kay Eiffel (Thompson), a bitter, despondent recluse, tries desperately to overcome her writer's block and finish a novel about a fictional IRS agent named Harold Crick. At her side is Penny Escher (Latifah), the assistant the publishers hired to protect their investment, so to speak. Little does Eiffel realize that Crick (Ferrell) actually exists, living a subdued life of his own in Chicago. Crick is a very intelligent person with Rain Man-esque calculation abilities, but also happens to be a vulnerable, socially inept loner. When he hears Eiffel's voice in his head on one random Wednesday, he becomes understandably distressed.

The voice continuously narrates his life as it unfolds, and then eventually states that Crick's all-important wristwatch going on the fritz has set the course for Crick's death. Crick decides to go see Jules Hilbert (Hoffman), an eccentric literature professor, who tries to determine the nature of Harold's story before it's too late. All Crick wants, however, is to find the origin of the voice and stop his death from occurring, so he can have enough time to build the life he's always wanted. Crick also attempts to build a relationship with one of his auditees, an attractive but nihilistic baker named Ana Pascal (Gyllenhaal), whose zeal for life intoxicates him.

Obviously, this film comes rife with some very potent insights into life, existentialism and the human condition, as well as parallel insights into the nature of literature. One could argue that there's a Crick in us all, just trying to independently navigate the routines of daily life. The film indirectly suggests that this is to hide the scars of the past and protect yourself from future ones, until you eventually become those routines. A compelling indictment of that lifestyle is certainly delivered here. Forster's wonderful visual concepts complement this insight, complete with extensive on-screen diagrams of Crick's routines, edgy camera angles, and monochromatic production designs which draw us into Crick's world very effectively. The electronica score by Britt Daniel and Brian Reitzell also works well, although it can be too similar to the score of "Waking Life" from time to time. The acting is extremely commendable all around, especially from Ferrell, Gyllenhaal, and Thompson.

In another subtle, but ingenious flourish of the script, we quickly realize that it's not actually Eiffel's voice that is making him despair, but rather the inner workings of his troubled subconscious, which Eiffel obviously nails down pretty well. Towards the end of the film, however, Crick learns how to forget his petty troubles and ditch his isolating routines, and tastes the joy of life for the first time; a lesson Eiffel could obviously stand to learn as well. It's a victory all of us can resonate with, whether we've achieved it yet or not, and this movie makes it look pretty darned simple to do.

The only really disappointing aspect of this movie was the ending. This is an ending that could be responsible for the fairly mixed reaction from critics concerning this movie, as well as its lack of awards. It sends completely the wrong messages, and contradicts the messages the movie was sending beforehand. As much as I'd love to delve into a lengthy, passionate dissertation about why I thought the ending was wrong, I'll refrain so you can see it for yourself. Hopefully, there will be strong debate to come concerning the ending, and if this were the intention of the filmmakers, they obviously succeeded.