Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Karen Effiel (Emma Thompson) is an author writing her latest novel about an isolated man named Harold Crick (Will Ferrell). What she doesn't know is that her fictionalized character is real. The real Harold Crick is an IRS agent who has lived a dull existence and one day begins to hear Karen's voice as she narrates what she puts on paper to what Harold has and is doing. Because of this Harold enlists the help of a literary professor (Dustin Hoffman) to find out what is happening and ends up changing things about his life including beginning a relationship with his IRS client, a government-hating bakery owner named Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Harold, however, finds trouble when he hears that Karen plans to kill him. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: Emma Thompson wore no makeup. The movie Harold watches at the theater is Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life. The watch featured in the movie is a Timex Men's Watch #T56371 - Ironman Triathlon 42 Lap Combo Dual Tech, though in the film, the watches LCD display is CG enhanced to present clearer graphics. The actual watch is a simple 9 segment per character LCD alphanumeric mode display with three lines and some special-indicators. The guitar chosen by Harold is a Fender Stratocaster. While filming, Will Ferrell had an earpiece that fed him Emma Thompson's narrative line in order to assist the other actors react more naturally to Ferrell's seemingly non-sequiter lines.

So what happens when you are a character in a book and the author decides to kill you off with the simple words "Little did he know"? And does a character that knows he is going to die change his life? And if a character knows how he will die, will he still do it? Some interesting questions. Will Ferrell is pretty good in this movie. It is not a normal Will Ferrell type performance but some very good performances have come from comedians playing non comedic roles. Emma Thompson was very good as the morose author. Dustin Hoffman was pretty funny as the professor. But it is Maggie Gyllenhaal that really shines. She is just so vibrant in her role. From her very first scene I knew I was going to like her. She was cursing out Will Ferrell's IRS agent because he was there to audit her. Thanks for giving me this movie to watch, Kim.