Stranger Than Fiction ***

In Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell plays a strait-laced IRS auditor who hears a voice in his head that is apparently narrating his life as he goes. Unfortunately, the narrator predicts his untimely demise. Meanwhile, he falls in love with a woman who is his polar opposite--an anarchistic, tattooed baker played by Maggie Gyllenhall.

With its surreal plot, comic actor in a serious lead role, and opposites-attract love story, this movie reminded me a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Indeed, one reviewer calls this movie "a Charlie Kaufman movie for people who are too stupid to understand Charlie Kaufman movies." I wouldn't go that far, but it does have a Kaufman-lite feel. Which isn't a bad thing. This movie is more original than most, and it's got a brain and a heart. It is both funny and poignant, and there are some good performances, especially by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Will Ferrell does a credible job with his serious scenes, and is understated but funny with his humorous bits.

The movie could be better--they could've taken the pathos deeper, and the premise and relationship could be more convincing. Still, it's a funny, sweet film.