I've always been a sucker for films in which a comedian takes on a more serious role. The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are the only two films by Jim Carrey which I absolutely love, and I loathed Adam Sandler until I saw Punch Drunk Love. Now, in Stranger Than Fiction its Will Ferrel's turn as Harold Crick, a fictional character who isn't really fictional at all, yet realizes he is the main character in a story when he begins hearing the voice of a narrator following his every action. The movie really starts in earnest when this same narrator announces that his death is imminent.
As an actor and writer myself, I can say that comedy is far harder to pull of than drama. Making someone cry or think is easy. Laughter? That's hard. And perhaps, this is why I love it so much when comedic actors whom I generally don't appreciate make their break into more dramatic roles. They've already done the hard part, after all, doing a drama is a sort of paid vacation for them. And, Will Ferrel does not disappoint.
Stranger than Fiction particularly appeals to the writer in me, for obvious reasons. While the majority of the film is studying the main character of our story, and making a statement about fate vs. free will, we also have a large subplot involving the writer of said story (played by Emma Thompson) and her battle with writer's block and her morbid attempts to get over it including a visit to the hospital where she realizes that seeing sick people who are going to get better can't help, she has to see the dying people that have absolutely no hope of getting better. I very much relate to this sentiment, as I have to admit that there is a part of me that seeks out the negative since it is, after all, more dramatic, and I found myself being drawn in to this character's mind set very much, while also being repelled simultaneously.
Stranger than Fiction is an unusual film with some fantastic performances and some thought provoking ideas. And, while I feel it copped out more than a little on the ending, I still highly recommend it. Here's one more scene from the film I'd like to share with you.
On a more personal note, my own drama continues. The first thing she said when I saw her at the bar tonight was that she was free this Saturday. Not being an idiot, I immediately asked her out. She said yes, but then also immediately gave herself an excuse to get out of it if she chooses. Part of me is wondering if she's really worth pursuing, but there is something about her I can't, and don't want to resist. When I said goodbye, she told me she would call me Saturday without any prompting from me, so I'm crossing my fingers that that's a good sign. Keep your fingers crossed for me, as well.
Shaun
"Me I just enjoy making things up. Yessah escape. Its when I can't write I can't escape myself, I want to rip my head off and run screaming down the street with my balls in a fruit pickers pail."
posted by Shaun @ 2:25 AM
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