SAVAGE CINEMA'S BURIED TREASURE #3: "STRANGER THAN FICTION" (2006)

"STRANGER THAN FICTION" (2006)
Written by Zach Helm
Directed by Marc Forster

I always find it interesting when actors want to stretch their artistic wings and challenge themselves, especially when certain actors are essentially known for their work within one genre. The result of such an artistic challenge can prove to be either fruitful or treacherous for the actor as well as the viewer. For actors primarily known for their work in comedy, the effect of such an artistic challenge can be jarring for audiences, to say the least.

Presently, I am reminded of Steve Martin’s first foray into dramatic territory with the Depression era set and extremely dark musical, Director Herbert Ross’ “Pennies From Heaven” (1981). Or even Bill Murray’s valiantly risky plunge into very deep dramatic waters with Director John Byrum’s “The Razor’s Edge” (1984), an adaptation of the classic W. Somerset Maughan novel about a WW1 veteran’s global search for spiritual enlightenment. Both films were not initially well received, critically or at the box office. As for myself, while piercingly curious to witness the results of two comedic heroes stretching their hefty talents, I, like so many at the time, was endlessly confused and confounded. While time has been a tad kinder to Martin’s debut dramatic efforts than Murray’s, both films have been ultimately banished to cinema’s underseen arcane oddities. Nonetheless, Martin and especially Murray are certainly to be commended for their efforts as both films did indeed allow them to become the deeply skilled actors they are today.

For this latest installment of “Savage Cinema’s Buried Treasure,” I would like to focus our collective attention towards Director Marc Forster’s “Stranger Than Fiction,” a wonderful film starring Will Ferrell, who stepped away from his usual brand of high concept slapstick to deliver a touchingly rich performance which varied between dramatic, romantic, wistful, alienated, tragic, and comedic. While the film did receive positive critical attention, I do not remember the response being anything overwhelming and indeed, it slipped through the cracks at the box office. Over the years since the theatrical release, “Stranger Than Fiction,” seems to have become that film that general film audiences cannot seem to place but caught somewhere at some time or another, and the memories the film have conjured are fond ones. Others, like myself, who did enthusiastically enjoy the film initially, have also continued to discover a deeper magic. I recently re-watched this film, and am so happy to re-visit, re-introduce and for some, welcome you to it now.

Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, a single, lonely, extremely fastidious IRS agent, devoted entirely to the numbers that chart each and every task of his life (the steps from his home to the bus stop, the amount of brush strokes when cleaning his teeth, etc…), so much so that he has become completely disengaged with life itself. His closest companion is actually, yet not surprisingly, the wristwatch he wears each day. As Harold Crick’s days and nights unfold and continue onwards most predictably, he is stunned one morning by the arrival of a female voice, narrating his every motion and thought, influencing every decision of his life and audible only to himself. Attempting to comprehend this unprecedented event rationally, Harold Crick is thrown into an existential crisis when the voice announces that he will soon face his imminent death.

We are next introduced to Author Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson), whose embittered state of petulance and deeply sardonic wit reveals a crippling bout of “Writer’s Block,” as she deals with the frustrating task of completing her long awaited, and long overdue, novel. Dispatched from the publishing house to assist and prod Eiffel to complete the book is Penny Escher (a terrific Queen Latifah), whose "all business" stature and equal adeptness to verbally parry and joust with Eiffel’s cantankerousness, makes for a formidable pairing, forcing Eiffel to focus and remain on task. As the two women continue to work together, the source of Eiffel's creative blockage arrives and is revealed to be rooted deep within the recesses of her own existential crisis. Karen Eiffel is confronted with the task and inherent responsibility of devising exactly how to kill off her new novel’s main character…a single, lonely, extremely fastidious IRS agent named Harold Crick!

While the two story lines converge and character and creator eventually grow closer to their first meeting face-to-face, Eiffel wrestles with her sense of humanity, as seen through her literary reputation for always murdering her novel’s main characters. As for poor Harold Crick, he now stares down his seemingly inevitable demise, just at the point he discovers he wants to exist. Feeling an unprecedented thirst for life and its possibilities, Harold Crick desperately searches for the source of the narrating voice with the aid of Literature Professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) and also pursues a romantic relationship with Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the angry baker he is currently auditing. Will he be able to find his sense of spiritual transcendence and survival before Eiffel completes her novel?

“Stranger Than Fiction” is an extended and exquisite grace note of a film that never quivers, falters or loses its magic tone. It is a tender piece of work, unapologetically gentle, and open-hearted without becoming overdone in its whimsy or treacly gloppiness. Its attention to kindness, manners, dignity and empathy are never forced, overwhelming or cloying. Forster and his screenwriter Zach Helm weave an inventive and nearly dreamlike fabric that is somehow always direct, tangible and never buckles under its own thematic and creative weight.

As previously described, you can see that, without any ponderous proselytizing, there is a large amount of spiritual debate spinning throughout “Stranger Than Fiction,” as all of the characters seem to be expressing their particular place in the world, their individual brand of rights to hold that place, and how the life of one effects another. This is a film completely without villains as the entire cast struggle within themselves to do right by others for no other reason than through simple human decency. Issues of free will vs. destiny are waged as well as the over-arching sense of interconnectivity between all things, including the most seemingly innocuous, inanimate objects like a bicycle, an apple and the aforementioned wristwatch. And “Stranger Than Fiction” is also a film about the glory of language and literature. The witty script is so in love with the power of words that even the luxurious listings and utterances of baked goods operate as sexual and romantic foreplay.

Yet, for this review, I want to mainly spotlight on the beauty of Will Ferrell’s performance. Yes, he shows with complete confidence that he is able to go toe to toe with no less than Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, and emerge, not only unscathed, but as an equal. He makes for a strong and wholly convincing romantic leading man as well, as his scenes with Gyllenhaal contain the proper romantic and sexual chemistry.

Beyond that, is his complete commitment to this character, while a staple of his comedy, had not been seen in a more dramatic arena at that time. Will Ferrell delivers a yearning quality to his performance that, at times, is nothing short of heartbreaking, all the more surprisingly as this film dances more on the lighter side of comedy and drama. There is urgency underlying his reticence. There is desperation, fear, incomprehension of his fate alongside the sly, crafty humor he is known and celebrated for.

Ultimately, what Will Ferrell has done is to create a character who is essentially a stand-in for every single member of the audience as we are all in the throes of facing down our mortality in one way or another. We can instantly relate to Harold Crick because he asks the same hard questions of himself as we ask of ourselves. Are we fully living the lives we intend to lead or are we victims to our own compromises? Are we doing enough with the time we are allowed to have?

I can easily see what may have led Ferrell to this role, in addition to the high quality of this ambitious material. It would have given him a chance to show what else he is creatively made of, in a format designed to bring him to the attention of wider audiences and different filmmakers. Perhaps this could have been something like Jim Carrey’s experience with Director Peter Weir’s “The Truman Show” (1998), another impressively inventive film that effectively bridged the gap between Carrey’s comedy, dramatic desires and an artistic directorial vision. It was a gamble that indeed captured box office gold and also allowed Carrey to branch his talents outwards and position himself as one who could alternate projects between broad comedy and extraordinary artistic features like Director Michel Gondry's “Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind” (2004). Sadly, for Ferrell, it was not to be for “Stranger Than Fiction,” and what a disappointment it is as he is an actor more than ready and able to handle heavier themes and more challenging material that could exist concurrently with his comedic features.

But, dear readers, that is the blessing of DVD and the full purpose of this Savage Cinema series: to be able to breathe new life into films that deeply deserve a second chance and wider viewership. I hope that you please take this installment as an invitation to go to your local video store or place into your Netflix queue this terrific, beautiful film which features an artistic risk of a performance that is undeniably rewarding.