"How would Jim Carrey brush his teeth?"

Stranger than Fiction is the story of Harold Crick. Harold is an IRS auditor, a man of precise habits and little imagination. As it turns out, he is also the main character in a novel by acclaimed writer Karen Eiffel. One morning Harold starts to hear Karen’s voice in his head, narrating his actions as he brushes his teeth with precisely the same number of strokes as he always uses. She narrates as well when he makes his daily run for the bus, takes his customary four-minute coffee break and eats his solitary dinner. All of this is disconcerting enough, but when the narrator predicts his imminent death, Harold’s orderly world is thrown into chaos.

Is Harold a character in a novel, his fate dictated by an unseen author? The premise is intriguing and the script is imaginative and smart and funny. It’s the first feature-film credit for Zach Helm and yes, it’s kind of “Charlie Kauffman light” but that’s not a bad thing. Director Mark Forster (Finding Neverland) has a deft comic touch and I enjoyed his subtle visual flourishes, like the graphic overlays that measure Harold’s world with an architect’s precision.

"Yes, I'm shorter in person. Deal with it."

As the movie progresses, Harold consults various experts about his problem, including a pair of contrasting mental health professionals: Tom Hulce as a laid-back counselor who wants to “convo” about his issues and Linda Hunt, tartly straightforward as a psychiatrist who thinks Harold should consider medication. But things really kick into gear when he turns to a literature professor, played by Dustin Hoffman, who tries to help him determine what kind of story he’s in. Harold decides to try to steer his life towards romantic comedy by wooing a tax-evading baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal) he’s auditing.  Meanwhile, Karen Eiffel is suffering from writer’s block and tolerating an assistant (Queen Latifah) sent by her publisher to help her overcome same.

The movie is bolstered by some very strong performances and other pretty good ones. Best (as usual) is Emma Thompson, whose beleaguered author is a chain-smoking, reclusive mess, made crazy by her inability to devise a good way to kill her main character. Hoffman is sly and funny as the literature professor seemingly unfazed by the idea that life is way more than imitating art. Gyllenhaal is perfectly cast as the free-spirited woman who may mean the difference between comedy and tragedy for Harold. You may be skeptical about Will Ferrell, better known for comedies that are a bit broader than this one. He was fine. Good, even, at times. But Harold is such a buttoned-up character that it’s hard to tell how Ferrell would fare in a part that requires more emotional range.

"I don't like the way those guitars are looking at me."

Stranger than Fiction is a very good movie that maybe could have been great. As much as I enjoyed it, I couldn’t help but feel that if it HAD been written by Charlie Kauffman, if Spike Jonze or Michel Gondry had been at the helm, that it would have been a little more emotionally rich, a touch more magical. But that’s just idle speculation, an activity that the movie inspires on many levels. I’m still thinking about it days later, interpreting and reinterpreting, speculating about its premise. That’s all too rare these days and earns a recommendation from me. 

Gorilla Pants rating: 3.5 out of 4 bananas