Stranger Than Fiction

What a movie! I usually do not care for Will Ferrell movies, but this one is incredible. He's an IRS agent, with a very dull life when he begins hearing a voice narrating his every action. No one else hears the voice, and he begins to believe he is having a mental breakdown.

The voice is Emma Thompson's, who is writing the story of Will's life. She is a renowned writer who kills off each of her main characters at the end of each book. She is depressed and suicidal, and hasn't had a book published in 10 years.

There are twists and turns, and little bits of humor, mostly surrounding the other characters. Ferrell plays it straight as the bewildered IRS agent. Dustin Hoffman is a college professor with quirks and a mania for caffeine and is very believeable.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (sp?) is a spacey bakery owner who refuses to pay 100% of her taxes. She is delightful. But nothing in this movie is formulaic. The writing and directing are brilliant. Hopefully Ferrell will continue to select more roles such as this one, rather than the dumber than dumb stuff he's been doing heretofore.

Libraries have copies now, if you missed it when it came out in 2006.