Stranger Than Fiction (DVD)

When Stranger Than Fiction first came out, I wanted to see it, but after experiencing trailer overexposure, I decided it might be a boring flick. You know how it is when you see a trailer too many times — you feel like you’ve already seen the whole movie. But I was wrong.

The film stars Will Ferrell as Harold Crick, the most ordinary and simple-minded man on the planet. But Harold is also a character in a book, and Emma Thompson’s character is its author. She’s trying to find a way to kill off her main character, and Harold’s got to find a way to stop her.

This film also features Dustin Hoffman as a literature professor and Maggie Gyllenhaal as the love interest. The cast members step into their roles like you or I would step into a comfortable bathrobe, and each one delivers a spot-on performance, including Queen Latifah, who has a minor role in the film as Thompson’s writing assistant.

Stranger Than Fiction is contrary, at once both satisfyingly simple and delightfully complex. The themes are cleverly layered and tease the audience into having “aha” moments during every other scene. This film shows us how to live, to feel alive, and break out of stale habits. It explores self, relationships, and craft. The chemistry between Maggie Gyllenhaal and Will Ferrell is surprisingly endearing just as the dynamic between Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah is enjoyably conflicting.

I’m a writer, and that made this film even more appealing to me. As Emma Thompson struggled to finish her novel, I got right in there and struggled alongside her. Every twist and turn was strangely familiar and I found myself nodding my head in agreement and understanding at the hardships that every writer faces.

Even if you’re not a writer, you’ll love this film. You’ll be rooting for every single character and when it’s over, you’ll have twice as much respect for the actors. And I don’t know who write the screenplay, but what a gem!