Stranger Than Fiction

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is the archetypal taxman. Single and generally solitary, he lives his life as a series of precise routines. One morning, whilst preparing for another day of diligent IRS duty, he hears a woman's voice narrating his every action. Across town, novelist Karen Eiffel is close to completing her latest, and potentially finest, book. All that remains is for her to figure out how to kill off her main character, Harold Crick. Little does she suspect that Harold is inexplicably alive and well in the real world, and suddenly aware of her words. With his life turned upside down, Harold realises he must find a way to change her (and his) ending. A brainwave leads him to literature expert Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who advises that he needs to change his story from a tragedy to a comedy, a suggestion that leads Harold to initiate an unlikely seeming romance with Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a feisty young woman he's investigating. Marc Forster's first foray into comedy, from a brilliant script by newcomer Zach Helm, is an enjoyable and original treat. Perfectly cast and impeccably performed, the film credits the audience with enough intelligence to appreciate the narrative conceit, but also rewards us with wonderful characters to engage with. Smart technical choices also play their part, giving the film a particular spare, modern look and drawing in the estimable musical talents of Brian Reitzell and Spoon's Britt Daniel.