Milk & Cookies

Although it was probably one of the best movies that 2006 had to offer, it wasn’t officially released here in Belgium and only recently popped up on dvd. Despite once again confirming that distributors should be ashamed of themselves over here, Marc Forster’s latest creation is a genuine work of art. Previously he directed critically acclaimed films such as Monster’s Ball (the most ridiculously over-rated movie ever if you ask me), Finding Neverland (which was ok) and the brilliant Stay (once again overlooked in Belgium) but with Stranger than Fiction he has convinced the world, and me, of his talent. He doesn’t deserve all the credit though, seeing as he was helped by the phenomenally clever screenplay by up and coming screenwriter (and director: Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium) Zach Helm. The story is bursting with creativity and reminiscent of a Charlie Kaufman film meaning that they created a wonderfully funny, touching and absurd universe, the world of Harold Crick.

Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is a very dull person and a tax inspector none the less who literally lives his life by the numbers. One day his straight forward life is disturbed by a woman’s voice (Emma Thompson) from above, one that predicts his every move. His life is being narrated to him while he is living it. A psychiatrist wasn’t successful in helping him so he tries something a bit more risky, namely an English professor named Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman) to help sort this narrator out. While Hilbert tries to find out who this woman is by using some very unconventional methods, Harold goes on with his daily routine and even ends up falling in love with a nonconformist baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal) until one day he hears some unsettling news: “Little did he know that he’s facing his imminent death ”.

Will Ferrell was surprisingly good in an uncommon serious role as the confused main character aided by an equally tremendous star-studded cast in which Emma Thompson also stands out due to her morbidly mystifying writer’s block.Despite the fantastical nature of the story Forster and Helm succeeded in giving it real emotional depth and making it a very plausible and touching tale indeed filled with some interesting brainteasers. Thanks to the narrator, Harold realises that he isn’t living but being lived (quite literally actually) and decides to take matters in his own hands. Ferrell portrays this evolution beautifully and shows the world he is actually capable of more than just making an ass of himself. The movie deals with the heavier themes of love, death and taxes combined with a story about the self-imprisonment of modern-life, the value of companionship, and the joy of infinite possibilities.

In the end Stranger than Fiction praises literature and the unworldly effect it can have on our lives. Like all great novels, this movie is funny, touching, unpretentious, romantic and intellectually delectable.