Stranger Than Fiction is about one man called Harold Crick (played by Will Ferrell), who is an IRS agent – he lives his life by a very strict routine. But one day, when he wakes up, he hears a woman in his head, narrating all his actions as he carries on with his day to day activities. He tries to carry on, but it soon proves impossible, and when he hears a comment about his “imminent death”, he goes on a search, to find out whom the voice belongs to. Enter Karen Eiffel, played by Emma Thompson, who is writing a novel with a character named Harold Crick, and she is actually the owner of the voice that Harold keeps hearing. Karen is suffering from writer’s block, and she needs to finish off with her book.

Stranger Than Fiction is a seemingly innocent movie, but if you look closer it’s actually quite grim, and deals with a lot of deep questions that should get you thinking. It’s slightly predictable towards the end, but there are some great dramatic sequences that will definitely put you on the edge of your seat. The dialogues are crisp and fresh, though sometimes the plot feels a little ill-paced. However, Will Ferrell plays his role to perfection, and Emma Thompson’s performance is great as always.

The psychological trauma in the movie is well captured, and though some lines are funny and though some bits have comedy, it’s not a funny movie in any way.

On the contrary, it’s a deep movie that is rather subtle – and the pain and tragedy of life are well expressed from the directory’s point of view.