Blue Eyes Designs

Stranger than Fiction is one of the first and best original movies out of Hollywood in a long, long time. I’m serious. E and I caught the last showing after work last night and it was so very, very good.

Will Ferrell has finally been cast in a role that allows him to show off more than his ability to be a crazy cheerleader. Fiction has a simple but elegant story with small cast of rich and powerful characters. It’s not a laugh-a-minute riot, but it’s not a slow, cerebral flick, either. It’s the common ground between mainstream comedy and the likes of I <3 Huckabees. It has the opportunity to walk down the existentialist path, but it pulls back to a more humanist, and more visceral end. Everything’s not happy-go-lucky, but there’s hope.

I can’t speak for many others, but I have to admit that during times of drama in my life, I can’t help but think that I’m living in some sort of story, be it film, play, or novel. It sympathizes with the insecurities that people feel in their lives, and is a subtle reaffirmation that we are not alone. There’s a great series of scenes in which Harold Crick (Ferrell) is trying to determine whether his life is a comedy or a tragedy. Who hasn’t wondered that? Especially when they’re feeling that it’s the latter.

I think everyone should see this movie. We need to deliver a message to Hollywood that smart, carefully-crafted movies will have an audience. E and I both noticed that the advertisements for Fiction played up the humorous side of the film, which is OK. I hope that it’s a successful tactic for getting people to come for dessert and stay for the meal, so-to-speak.