Stranger than Fiction - Movie Review Example

Stranger than fiction The movie is about Harold Crick, who is known as Will Ferrell in the film. He was minding personal business and living in the day-to-day routine before he began hearing some voices. It took him time before realizing that it was the voice of an author (French 2). The author’s voice followed him wherever he went, and it was narrating his daily activities; a notion that annoyed him. Harold was annoyed by the narration because he knew there were not much to narrate, and he disliked everything that came with the narration from the author. He also believed nothing to him went beyond going to work, brushing his teeth, and eating his meals alone (French 3). Despite Harold refusal to listen to the narration, he heard one verse from it that changed his perception towards the narration. The verse changed everything making him begin searching for the meaning (French 5). However, he did all these not knowing that the simple act would cause his death. The simple narration from the author made Harold do all within his means to escape death. He went to a psychologist who confirmed to him that he suffers from schizophrenic; however, he refused that to be suffering from such ailment (Scott 4). Hence, he went again to seek advice from a professor of literature, Hilbert, who questioned him and left to configure if he is in a comedy or tragedy (Ebert 6). The author knew that he would be hitched in case he is in comedy and die in case he is in tragedy (Ebert 8). From the above short synopsis of the movie, it is evident that there are many things, which the video has not explained, and they leave the reader in a dilemma. The reader has to guess the events, which transpired some of the actions witnessed in the book that the book ought to have explained or gave a sequence to their occurrence. For instance, it is not clear and explained how Harold came to find himself in the book authored by Karen as one of the characters. Although the main protagonist heard voices that he did not understand the meaning, they would not be a justification for his appearance in the book. Similarly, the author of the book spoke to him in a special way, which also does not guarantee his appearance in the book as one of the characters. Therefore, there are many things that the movie left hanging without proper timeline of how they came to take place. Therefore, the rest of the essay will talk about the developments of events in the movie and ways different activities and approaches of the author that influenced Harold and the rest of the characters in the movie. The essay will also draw from other works by the author as well as some of the dilemmas facing the main characters. The movie has a surprising end on how the theme of death is depicted between Eiffel and Harold. The movie staged a rare scenario where one character advocates the death of another without his knowledge (Tyler 4). This leaves the question of responsibility and ethics in the society as witnessed in the movie where Eiffel, the author tells Harold that he has to die since it is a masterpiece (Tyler 6). This brings the question of killing one for individual gain, which is not accepted in the society. On the other hand, the book was about fiction narration and the author was right using any character to play any role in the book. Therefore, one may also argue that Harold should not feel offended because the author used him as a dying character in the book. Despite the author using Harold in a wrong place, which depicts him as a dying person, Harold did not have much to worry about since life was getting interesting for him. His relationship with other characters such as Ana developed in a way that he never minded all that was happening in the outside world including his depiction in the book where he must die. He also comforted himself through Gyllenhal way of kidding as it played a role to help him overcome all the life challenges and experience he encountered (Sarah E 26). Harold never wanted to die and on the other hand, he did not want to disappoint Eiffel after long of time of following the authority and being involved in uncertain duties (Sarah E 26). In his argument, Harold never saw anything that would guarantee him to feature in the book after all he has very little to celebrate in life. This notion kept on haunting him wherever he thought of the narration and reflected personal life and his achievements. From the above description, one can argue that Harold is living in a state of denial, and he is not willing to accept the reality, which he faces. For instance, he is afraid to disappoint the author to grant to him a masterpiece claiming that he has done nothing in life (Whitcomb, Hilda and Dan 196). At the same time, he does not want to disappoint the author because of a long time relationship as a worker in the Tax Company (Whitcomb, Hilda and Dan 197). Similarly, Harold has worked, and he is tired of shuffling papers that mean nothing to him (Dynel 50). He is portrayed as someone obsessed the work he is doing since he is experiencing burnout, which he has to overcome. From all these, Harold still does not want to accept his achievements, which the author has recognized and agreed to have him in the play (Mogg 96). Hence, Harold is portrayed as an individual who is not willing to accept the realities facing him, and this makes him miss many opportunities within his reach. Harold obsession with his work makes him prefer not to audit more tax return and resort to something else he feels is more interesting and enjoyable. Similarly, he would prefer not to die since he believes there are more that can still be done to enable him achieve the expectation and ultimate goals (Mogg 96). He also believes he has done less to deserve the recognition he is being given to feature in the book (Mogg 96). Through this second thought of quitting a job and escaping death, Harold resorts to soul searching, a decision that requires him to consult with people he knows can help and give him inspiration. Hilbert and Anna take a center stage in this role although they play it indirectly (Travers 76). On the other hand, Eiffel also feel obsessed with the assigned role from her publisher owing to the powers she has (Travers 76). She did not feel happy when the publisher assigned her a role as an assistant, which forced her through her writers block. This role gave her much pressure than she expected and made her chain-smoke as she considered suicide (Travers 76). Therefore, it is not only Harold who is obsessed with the a new assignment of playing the role he is incapable, others such as Eiffel also undergo the same experience. Some characters are too rigid to assume additional responsibilities because they feel it comes with additional pressure. Eiffel is on the characters in the movie that feels additional responsibility as an assistant is too much making her to contemplate suicide. Stranger than fiction is a movie, which has taken a different narration style and shifted from commonly, known ways of acting. This is through the depiction of characters in the play and the roles they play in the plot development. For instance, the movie has made it easy for audience to know the situation of Harold before him; this is an example of a dramatic irony, which is characterized by some plays and work (Kellner 111). Many people argue that the style employed is an old one where literary theories are used and are surpassed by time (Kellner 112). However, others believe that the technique fits the production because it contributes in plot development where the characters stay looking for a solution (Kellner 113). It is evidenced that the revelation that Harold features in the book as one of the characters that is to die elicits debates on issues related to literature ethics and relationship between literature and life. Therefore, it is important to consider the dramatic irony used in the movie and evaluate its role in plot development. Additionally, there are a lot of question, which the movie has not made clear to the audience. They are left hanging, hence, leaving the audience with a chance of guessing the answers to give them the satisfaction. For instance, the central issue in the movie is about death; a theme that develops between Harold and Karen (Last 450). It comes because of the emerging relationship between the two, which leaves a lot of question being asked. For instance, the movie is not clear on the existing relationship between the two, the author-character relationship is not clear. It is also not clear in case she called him into being ex nihilo since the information given are very sketchy. Similarly, it is not easy to determine in case Harold have memories of thing that happened before “Death and Taxes” started since it relates to the current story (Bagli C1). Moreover, questions are lingering in case Harold is free when the Karen is blocked from the things she wants to do which are against the wish of the majority. Similarly, audience are questioning themselves if Karen should be left to do all she can because she is performing her role as a narrator. These questions are not only originating from the audience, but to Harold too since he is the main protagonist and the person who wants to establish a relationship with Karen. Stranger than fiction depicts many themes that are related to romantic and love. This can be argued to happen because of relationship and interaction that happens between the characters in the movie. Similarly, the movie has cases of and finds room to for romantic fantasy and sentimental uplift hence drifting away from anxiety, which is characterized by many scenes. For instance, Harold is portrayed as character suffering from an identity crisis, and this makes him move from person to person ion search for a solution (Prime 60). Because of such movements, he finds himself flowering a crush on Ana Pascal (Prime 60). She was a baker who refused to pay taxes because she believed they funded activities, which she did not welcome such as war (James 3). Her words were sweet to Harold, and he made every attempt to listen to a womans voice. In many occasion, Harold showed up at the woman’s bakery to buy flours and with the aim of listening to a woman. His several attempts to please the woman became productive when he was offered a kiss (Rafidi 153). These are just a few incidences when romance has played a part in the movie and deviated the scenes from what the movie is known for. Lastly, the movie has proved to be enjoyable especially the way the director has manipulate Harold to assume different roles. Through this, the movie is very sweet and sympathetic as it elicits amusements and laughs. It helps or hides the notion that Harold is ironic in the play. Similarly, it is very easier to notice the main protagonist in the play since his actions are attracting to warrant identification. The movie also portrays different feelings since it goes against the wish of others to literally wish someone dead or play the scene of death while he or she is still alive. This notion does not go well with other audiences. However, there is also a feeling that the critics miss the bigger picture since literature works are mostly fictional stories. The Stranger than fiction, captured a living person as one of the characters to face death, a practice that needs no misinterpretation. Overall, the work of literatures does not harm anyone despite the role played by a person. In conclusion, Stranger than fiction, is a movie about a troubled man because of his roles in the film to be produced. This voice makes him walk from people he feels can give him help in interpreting the voice only to find that he is featured in a book Karen Eiffel writes. The situation disturbs him since he is portrayed as a dying person, and he believes he should not be dying now. However, the movie provides different argumentation scenarios in relation to the relationship in among characters. For instance, it is not clear how Karen came to know Harold since there is no clear picture or documentation on the same. On the other hand, one can argue that the two had once interacted since there are many situations, which ties them together. Moreover, a number of cases trigger argument, and people agree to disagree depending with values they hold on life. Many believe portraying a living person as dead in a play is against the ethics or humanity and does not go well with the affected person. However, some believe there is no problem using a living character since literature is fictional and portrays things, which are to make the audience happy. Hence, they do not feel the literature should have a boundary in relation to characters being used. Works Cited Bagli, Charles. "Stranger Than Fiction? Try Fact." New York Times 02 Dec. 2014: C1 Dynel, Marta. "Stranger Than Fiction? A Few Methodological Notes on Linguistic Research in Film Discourse." Brno Studies In English 37.1 (2011): 41-61. Ebert, Roger. Stranger than fiction. 2006. Web. 2014. French, Philip. Stranger than fiction. 2006. The Guardian. 2014. James, Mottram. "Stranger Than Fiction." Independent (UK) 01 Oct. 2014:3 Kellner, Tomas. "Stranger Than Fiction." Forbes 170.9 (2002): 110-114 Last, Richard. "A Style-Sensitive Approach To Religion And Film." Numen: International Review For The History Of Religions 59.5/6 (2012): 545-563. Mogg, Ken. "Stranger Than Fiction." Sight & Sound 19.8 (2009): 96. Prime, Rebecca. "Stranger Than Fiction: Genre And Hybridity In The "Refugee Film." Post Script 25.2 (2006): 56-66 Rafidi, Mark. "The Story Behind The Story: Stranger Than Fiction." Screen Education 52 (2008): 149-154. Sarah, Watt. "Stranger than fiction." Sunday Star-Times 23 Sept. 2012: E36 Scott, A. stranger than fiction. 2006. New York Times. 2014. Travers, Peter. "Stranger Than Fiction." Rolling Stone 1115 (2010): 76. Tyler, Josh. Movie Review: stranger than fiction. 2006. Web. 2014. Whitcomb, Jennie, Hilda Borko, and Dan Liston. "Stranger Than Fiction." Journal of Teacher Education 58.3 (2007): 195-201. Read More