Life as Narrative

So I had a get a free ticket thingy for the local Regal Cinema. I don’t usually go there. I did at one point provide it most of my movie watching business, because it had less expensive tickets, they had a frequent movie watchers punch card that gave you free drinks and movies, and the location was more convenient. That was before Regal bought them. First of all Regal increased the cost of the ticket modestly, like 50¢. Then they quit using the old punch cards and opted for a swipe card that counted points, at a slower rate of reward than the punch cards. Ok, I understand times are getting harder, and I can understand that. The thing that really chapped me was that they increased the concession price by about 25%-50% and had removed the Mountain Dew, the only drink they had I liked, from the fountain drinks. So I’ve been going to the other theater with similar ticket prices, better sound, and Dr. Pepper and Mountain Dew on tap a little more often. So the last time I went to the Regal, because of a timing conflict at the other theater, I got a free movie pass, and yesterday I used it.

My brother and I met to go to the 7:55 showing of “Stranger than Fiction”. My brother is the one that told me to read Oryx and Crake, which I hope to review shortly. I thought it looked interesting in the ads, plus it has Will Ferrell as the main character. Ferrell has always come through for me in the past, and I put trust in his presence. Then I saw that Rotten Tomatoes had a rating of 76% for the thing. That clinched that I had to see it.

As most of you have gathered from the trailers and ads, the movie is about Harold Crick. Harold is an IRS agent that leads the dullest, most structured, self imposed life of anyone you can imagine. One morning he hears a voice that’s narrating what he’s doing. For a second he think’s he’s loosing it, but then decides someone is narrating his life. This notion solidifies when he hears the narrator mention his impending death.

I liked this movie a lot. I’m going to jump straight to the point and say go see it, even if you have to pay full price. The movie is funny and serious, happy and sad, about acceptance and rejection of fate, and you just like it overall when you leave. Ferrell does a great job of being dull without making the movie dull. He doesn’t resort to his usual over the top antics, and instead draws on a lot more of the deadpan humor one remembers from Chevy Chase’s movies. Emma Thompson is great as well. I don’t know what they did to her, but she looks like a stressed out writer. And Dustin Hoffman’s character is just a nice little gift. How much coffee does he drink any way? My brother said it had a definite air about it like “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” and it does. It just doesn’t go nearly as over the top as Sunshine does. So get off your duff and see it.