Review of Stranger Than Fiction (2007) by Colin N — 23 Feb 2016

Colin Nielsen.

ENG4U.

Mr. Nate Vankampen.

Film Review Admiring the 2006 Film,.

Stranger Than Fiction.

Stranger Than Fiction, 2006, starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Emma Thompson, is a beautifully written comedy set in modern day Chicago.

Following the story of Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) as he wakes up to a regular life every day, performing the same mundane tasks every day in his job as an internal revenue agent. This all changes however, when his watch stops working, and he begins to hear a female narrator describing his entire life. He struggles with this narrator, because as everything she says is right, causing him to pick up the audit case of a baker. The baker is known as Ana Pascal, (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who prefers to not pay her taxes and openly defies "the man" whom Harold obviously represents. Through a turn of events, Harold and Ana find themselves in love at the ultimate climax of the story which leaves its viewers speechless and satisfied with the conclusion.

Some of the greatest moments that came out of this movie had me in stitches. The great comedic relief and dry passive humour underlying every moment. Some of the greatest moments come out when Harold is introduced to his dramatic irony. "Little did he know" forms the basis for his entire story, especially when he has a breakdown in front of the bus when the narrator literally says "little did he know, that watch would be the very basis of his death". The movie is full of these comedic innuendoes, which enhances the film drastically.

In addition to the comedic humour, the actors really proved themselves time and time again, as the story develops. Will Ferrell proves he can admit to both the serious and comedic aspects of this piece, as he applies a sort of childlike innocence. This innocence matches very well with Maggie Gyllenhaal's incredibly adept mature nature of her knowing what she's doing as compared to Will, who is constantly trying to figure out the situation he has been placed in.

This film inspired me to be more than what I do. As a student, it can sometimes be hard to look past the drama in every situation or the grades and consequences of current choices. To look past that and live life, much like Harold did when he began to follow his dreams, is a model life the world should aspire to live. Overall, this movie proved to be incredibly dramatic and comedic at times, dragging you in and pushing you out all at the same time. Final rating? Ten homemade cookies out of ten homemade cookies.