The calendar has turned to April, which means many things, but one of the certainties in life is foremost in many minds: taxes. There are few movies about taxes, but there are a host of films that start with tax issues and move into more interesting areas. One such film is the criminally underrated romantic dramedy, Stranger Than Fiction (2006, dir. Marc Forster).
Stranger Than Fiction is a complicated fantastical story about Harold Crick (Will Ferrell in one of his better attempts at more serious fare), a boring IRS agent who begins hearing a voice narrating his life. This causes him to seek out a psychiatrist (Tom Hulce), who refers him to literature professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman). Hilbert determines the story is likely a tragedy (it DID reference that he would die because of a decision he had made) and recommends Crick live his life to the fullest. That leads to a relationship between Crick and Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a baker who Crick had been auditing. Eventually, he discovers the narrator is author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), who gives an interview about experiencing writer’s block in how to kill off her character…Harold Crick. Crick and Eiffel meet and mutually decide that Eiffel’s ending is beautiful and should proceed.
Did you follow that? It is complicated and somewhat collapses in on itself when Crick and Eiffel meet each other. Forster brilliantly delays that meeting until after you develop a rooting interest in Crick’s life and love, however, resulting in that critique being mild in the face of the film as a whole. Ferrell and Gyllenhaal form a very charming couple – following the common trope of initially not liking each other then falling in love. Their relationship culminates in one of the sweetest moments ever captured on film when Crick delivers her “flowers.”
The entire film is surprising in the best ways. The initial narration coming in makes the film feel like it will move in a more absurdist direction. This gives way to much more naturalistic portrayals with unique takes on common ideas. The ending itself somehow manages to surprise despite it being fairly well telegraphed from the start. I believe this surprising nature is what caused the film to be a disappointment at the box office. Nobody knew what to expect. I remember seeing it expecting a screwball comedy but getting so much more.
While it may not seem like it qualifies, consider this film for your next date night. It will give you a little bit of everything, and I would expect you to end the film with a broad smile on your face from having experienced something unique, surprising, fun, and pleasing. You cannot ask for more than that in a moviegoing experience.
FUN FACT – Professor Jules Hilbert gives Harold Crick a questionnaire of twenty-three items. Real life professor David Hilbert (German mathematician after whom the character of Jules was named), proposed a list of twenty-three problems at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 1900 in Paris. Interestingly, many of these problems remain unanswered.
Just Watch says that Stranger than Fiction is currently streaming on Peacock and Kanopy. It is available for rent and/or purchase on Apple TV, Amazon Prime and many other services.
As a reminder, here is the original post that details the scores and weighting system.