Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
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An IRS agent begins hearing a disembodied voice narrating his life as it happens, claiming he is destined to die.
The story
Harold Crick is an Internal Revenue Service agent living a solitary, strictly scheduled life in Chicago. His routine is disrupted when he begins hearing a woman's voice narrating his actions as they occur. The narration reveals that a specific action he took—resetting his wristwatch—will eventually lead to his death. Seeking answers, Harold consults a psychiatrist who suggests meeting a literary expert. He meets professor Jules Hilbert, who recognizes the omniscient narrative devices in the voice's descriptions. Together, they attempt to identify the author and determine if Harold's life is being written as a comedy or a tragedy.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Harold Crick, an IRS agent in Chicago, discovers a woman's voice narrating his life and predicting his death. He meets professor Jules Hilbert, who helps him realize the voice belongs to author Karen Eiffel. As Harold audits a baker named Ana Pascal, he falls in love with her, leading him to believe his story might be a comedy. However, a demolition crew destroys his apartment, which Jules interprets as proof of a tragic fate. Harold eventually tracks down Karen, who admits she is struggling with writer's block on a tragedy where Harold dies. After Harold accepts his fate, he learns the specific cause of death: a bicycle accident involving a boy. Karen, unable to bear the guilt of narrating a real death, offers a revised ending. In the climax, Harold saves the boy but is hit by a bus. However, shrapnel from his destroyed wristwatch blocks his artery, saving his life. Karen decides he deserves to live, and the film ends with Harold's invigorated life.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Marc Forster
- Writers
- Zach Helm · writer
- Cast and characters
- Will Ferrell · Harold Crick; Maggie Gyllenhaal · Ana Pascal; Dustin Hoffman · Jules Hilbert; Queen Latifah · Karen Eiffel; Emma Thompson · Penny Escher
- Genres
- fantasy; romance; comedy; drama
- Themes
- interconnectivity; destiny; the meaning of life
- Tone and mood
- thought-provoking; moral; intimate
- Premise and plot tags
- metafiction; magical realism; self-reflexive
- Source material / true-story basis
- Partially inspired by Playtime by Jacques Tati
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews, with Metacritic assigning it a 'generally favorable' score and CinemaScore giving it a 'B+' grade.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Production trivia
- The film's title is derived from a quote by Lord Byron.; Characters were named after famous scientists or influential artists.; The film was partly inspired by Jacques Tati's Playtime.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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