STRANGER THAN FICTION

I was looking forward to this movie even though I am not ordinarily a Will Farrell fan. I don't like the Will Farrell, Ben Stiller, Farrelly Brothers brand of comedy. I do like Emma Thompson, though. (Of course, I like Matt Damon, always, and Greg Kinear, often but I'm never going to watch Stuck on You.) But, the previews intrigued me. And, if you pay attention, even though the previews are funny, the movie is billed as a drama. So, I took the bait.

Farrell plays IRS agent Harold Crick who begins to hear a woman narrating his life. His Deadly. Boring. Life. Noone else hears this voice and we are not really informed whether or not he has any memories of his life before this begins. I presume he remembers anything that his author has written into his book. Because, of course, he is the protagonist of a book, he just doesn't know it. Lots of things aren't really explained and we are asked to swallow whole some pretty weird premises. Crick is motivated to find his "author" when he hears her announce that he will by dying soon. Emma Thompson, of course, is the author in question. She is being prodded to work through her writer's block by her assistant, played by an understated and classy Queen Latifah. It was nice to see her branch out into playing something other than a street smart, sassy sistah. I personally think she is gorgeous and smart and worthy of better roles. Anyway, Crick enlists the aid of a really weird college professor played by Dustin Hoffman! Weird, weird, role. Not getting that one.

Emma T. outperformed the movie, in my opinion. Farrell did not. I had a really hard time believing that the Maggie Gyllenhaal character would fall for him. Except maybe because she was a major nurturer. And boy, did this guy need nurturing. Actually, what he really needed... was a personality.

Bottom line: 2 stars; break out the cable needles.