Stranger than Fiction (2006)

Harold Crick is the only IRS auditor in Chicago with his own narrator, and she sounds like she’s already planning his funeral. That’s a great gag, and the real gamble is asking Will Ferrell to play it almost completely straight. It pays off. He’s stiff, lonely and quietly funny, and the jokes come from how still he stays while his life gets weird. The trouble is the romance. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Ana is a tattooed baker with a grudge against taxes, and when Harold shows up with a box of assorted flours instead of flowers, the movie looks very pleased with itself. Dustin Hoffman is the secret weapon, a literature professor who treats Harold’s crisis like a fascinating homework problem. Emma Thompson plays the novelist as a nervous wreck chasing one sentence. Queen Latifah gets almost nothing to do. It made $53.7 million worldwide on a reported $30M. A 7.6 because Ferrell’s sad, careful performance turns a gimmick into something sweet. $597.84 says you count your toothbrush strokes tomorrow morning and lose track halfway through.

What works: Will Ferrell’s restrained, lonely Harold and Dustin Hoffman’s delighted professor make a clever premise feel human.

What doesn’t: The romance with Ana leans too hard on quirky charm, and Queen Latifah is wasted in a nothing role.

Who it’s for: People who like their comedies gentle and a little bookish, and anyone curious what Will Ferrell can do at low volume.