I sometimes contemplate whether or not real life actually flows as if it were the plot of some sort of literature, whether it be book or film. Will a simple stumble on the sidewalk trigger a chain reaction of events? Are some things in real life just things or do they represent some sort of symbolism? Are fate and destiny truly pre-planned points in our lives designated by some unknown author? These were a few questions I asked myself upon the viewing of Marc Forster’s (director of last year’s Stay and masterpiece of 2004, Finding Neverland) Stranger Than Fiction.

The plot of the film can be explained in a simple, five word statment: “Harold Crick needs to die.” The simple murdering of a character in a written work, obviously in fiction (hopefully), can “make or break” an author. Especially in the work of author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), known for telling the stories of those seemingly ordinary people and then slowly killing them, finger by finger on her type-writer, as they make their way to a metaphorical death. Her publishers have hired an assistant, Penny Escher (Queen Latifah), to help push her into finishing her book. What Eiffel does not realize is that the main character Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) in her work-in-progress is actually a living person in their shared setting of Chicago.

Crick is just the kind of person you might expect to read as a character in a book. The technique in which Crick is introduced to us is that in which most authors introduce a character, through a typical daily routine in which the reader (or in this case, viewer) can relate. What’s unique about Harold’s character is that the course of his life relies almost entirely on the Timex T56371 on his wrist. He spends his days in an obsessive compulsive manner, counting his strokes when brushing his teeth, tying his tie in different manner to save time, and plotting out his way to work step by step, second by second. Harold lives as a dour auditor from the Internal Revenue Service and like any collector, is hated by all of his clients, including Ms. Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a baker whom Harold lusts for.

It is only one day that while Harold moves through his routine, that his actions are narrated by a voice inside his head. Experimenting by doing different things he not only learns that the voice can’t hear him, but also plans to kill him. As the voice begins to test his nerves throughout the next few days, he decides to visit a psychologist (Linda Hunt) who then misdiagnoses him with schizophrenia. Harold describes to her the literary fluency as well as vocabulary of the narration and she reconsiders her decision by sending him to literary expert Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) at the University of Illinois. Hilbert and Crick struggle to determine who the author might be as well as determining whether his life is a comedy or tragedy for that may determine exactly how and when his life may end. As Harold learns more, he discovers a sweet chemistry between himself and Ms. Pascal, the baker he is auditing and considers the possibility that his life may be a comedy after all.

There is something about Director Marc Forster that seperates him from the others in his field. Steven Spielberg brings us memorable adventure, Tim Burton brings us playful darkness, but Marc Forster is an expert when it comes to manipulating reality. In Finding Neverland he brought us to a world full of burdens and helped us escape in our childhood fantasies. With Stay, the mind was penetrated, joining the realms of reality and fantasy. Finally with Stranger Than Fiction, the title of the film truly reveals what Forster has made his career about, to reveal to audiences that the only thing stranger than fiction itself is real life and what is out there waiting for you. Forster brilliantly portrays his talents as a director by transforming the world of reality into that of fictional literature, and vice versa.

First time screenwriter Zach Helm is the mind behind the matter. Helm brings the substance of a book to what we see as a film. I was pleasantly surprised to see a script so vast and colorful, especially from someone with no screenwriting experience. However, his previous experience as a playwrite certainly suits the literary tone of Stranger Than Fiction. The story flows in an interesting way, everything Harold thinks and does can in some way be traced by to Eiffel’s writing. Eiffel feels like a true author, raising a character who has found a place in society, they are however not happy with who they and the life they lead. In combination with Forster’s direction, the life of Eiffel and her secretary explores the edges of reality and her imagination in attempt to create the perfect death scenario for our hero.

With the combination of Roberto Schaefer’s cinematography and Matt Chesse’s editing, we are fully able to understand the mathematical and problem solving processes of Harold Crick. Small digital computer icons appear on the screen whenever Harold encounters a problem, unfortunately this is less like a novel and more you like something in a videogame.

Will Ferrell is not the actor we expect him to be if we were to look back at the characters in which he has potrayed in previous performances. Could this be the turning point of Will Ferrell as an actor? Might this be his transition from comic to serious actor? I myself am very curious to see where his career leads for his performance of Harold Crick did seem that from a novel, a bit too novel-like for my taste. His character seemed to yield almost no personality whatsoever and we as the audience are almost convinced that his character is all too boring to truly care for.

The other performances however are rather acceptable. Emma Thompson as the misguided author draws the audience into her world of living in a daze and how deadly writer’s block can be. The memories of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s typical whiney characters are lost in a likeable rebellious baker who plays our main characters love interest. Dustin Hoffman as Professor Hilbert appears to be an enigma. His character plays out much like a stereotypical college instructor, coffee in hand and half-moon shaped glasses on nose, but he has a really dry satirical side that manages to steal away an scenes involving himself and Will Ferrell.

In the end, the film is truly something different and is unlike anything I have seen in any film I have seen these past few years. The beautiful creative work from behind the camera meshes well with the performances of the actors and actresses, celebrating most of their respective backgrounds and history who are helping to shape a more positive Hollywood that can be appreciated by all ages and future generations.