Stranger Than Fiction Movie Review

Becoming Insane? Or Simply Hearing a Story? Stranger Than Fiction, directed by Mark Forster, is an unusual movie. I personally liked the movie very much, but it was definitely out of the mainstream of movies today. The main character, Harold Krick (played by Will Ferrell) is a seemingly normal IRS agent that lives life on a very punctual and precise schedule. He is always on time for things and even counting the number of times he brushes his teeth in the morning!
The character that Ferrell acts is not the typical character that Ferrell works on, but it is a very good change for him because it somewhat makes the audience think that there will be something comedic in the movie. As a whole, the cast was a very good choice and fit the characters well. The movie is very delightful because it shows various different themes in it. For example, the movie contains a sprinkle of bildungsroman qualities through the character development in Harold Krick.
He evolves from a precise person, always on time but not really enjoying life to a courageous and caring person. In the beginning of the movie, the audience is revealed that Harold is very mathematical, shown by the various lines and measurements appearing on objects, and the fact that Harold can solve complex math problems in his head. This all changes when he hears a woman’s voice with a British accent. Harold believes that he is insane in the beginning, but he soon realizes that the voice is actually narrating his life.

Upon that discovery, he searches for someone to help him which results in the audience meeting Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), a very learned professor in literature and prose. I found some irony in this because his book shelves have various cookbooks and other types of books that do not pertain to prose. Professor Hilbert believes that Harold is schizophrenic at first, but when he hears the whole story, he decides to help Harold by telling him to carry a notebook around to see if the book is a comedy or a tragedy.
The actors in the movie were absolutely phenomenal. The actors fit the attitude of the characters and Will Ferrell was one of the best. He takes the viewer off guard by being in a serious movie, and actually plays the part very well. Ferrell’s acting felt as if he was actually Harold and didn’t know what was happening in his life. The story line is a fairly straightforward structure, except for the plot twist at the end. It truly shows how Harold and other characters have developed through this movie.
The overall mood of the movie is fairly sad until the plot twist. Although the mood was sad, the cinematography and lighting were simply amazing throughout the movie. The music in Stranger Than Fiction was an original soundtrack, with good songs throughout. This movie can be confusing at the end if you are not paying attention, because all of the facts come at you in quick succession. My opinion on if someone should rent or buy this movie would have to be rent it. The movie was well done, but not enough to make viewers want to watch the film again.