Stranger Than Fiction

What would you do if you suddenly started hearing someone narrating your life? Including a statement that "Little did he know this innocuous act would lead to his imminent death." That's what happens in "Stranger Than Fiction".

I have a love/hate relationship with Will Ferrell. Loved him in Elf, liked some of his Saturday Night Live stint. But the movies he's best known for - hate them. For some reason, I keep trying them, people tell me they're hilarious, and I really, really did love Elf. But I rarely make it past ten minutes.

All of that has nothing to do with "Stranger Than Fiction", except to say that it's not a normal Will Ferrell movie. The wild hijinks and overblown characters aren't to be found. So if "Anchorman" is your favorite movie - don't expect to see a Ron Burgandy clone. And if an airplane airing of "Blades of Glory" makes you want to leave the plane - this movie is still worth a try.

So, to the movie. Will Ferrell plays Howard Crick, a very buttoned-down IRS auditor. One morning, while brushing his teeth and counting the strokes, he hears a woman narrating his life. It continues as he runs to catch the bus - but no one else can hear it. He gets help from a literary expert played by Dustin Hoffman, who wants him to figure out if he's living a comedy (good news, the hero gets laid) or a tragedy (bad news, the hero dies). He's currently auditing a bakery owner who refuses to pay all her taxes on principle, hates him on site, but may be falling for her (yay! comedy!). Except the author is still trying to find the right way to kill him.

A wonderful movie. Great performances all around, including Emma Thompson as the writer and Queen Latifah as the publisher-provided assistant. The dialog is smart and believable, and the story moves along at a good pace. It's usually categorized as a comedy, but there's at least as much drama in the story as well, as everyone struggles with an unreal situation. This isn't a laugh out loud rolling in the aisles movie. But it's one that will make you think, and one that will make you smile.