One protagonist in search of an author

In Stranger Than Fiction (2006), Will Farrell plays it straight as Harold Crick, an obsessive-compulsive IRS auditor who one morning hears a narrator in his head. I thought it to be a very fresh and clever premise and, despite being fully aware of it, I still found it surprising when the conventional voice-over is acknowledged by the character. Crick is understandably disturbed and annoyed by the voice. What impels Crick to seek the narrator, however, is hearing the voice say these ominous words: "Little did he know that this simple, seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death."

Crick is desperate to find out what is happening to him and so seeks the only person he can think of to help with a literary affliction: an English professor. As Crick explains his problem, Dr. Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) recognizes "Little did he know..." as a characteristic phrase in the work of literary novelist Karen Eiffel (Emma Thompson). It would appear that Crick is actually the main character in her current manuscript-in-progress. Another element shared by her novels is that they typically end with the protagonist's death. Thus, having identified the author, he sets out to try to persuade her not to kill him.

Crick learns about himself through the eyes of the narrator as well as from recent experiences in his own life -- or what may be his own life -- including his romance with baker Ana (Maggie Gyllenhaal). While I suspect that some things might be especially amusing for us lit-geeks (the professor tells Crick that entire dissertations have been written on "little did he know"), I don't think it is limited in its appeal. This is a movie that manages to be great fun, yet deeply serious all at once. And the unanswered questions aren't frustrating, but interesting. It is quite satisfying, overall.

The movie also has really cool graphics.

And according to IMDB, the credits include a special thanks to the ubiquitous Jacques Perrin.