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STRANGER THAN FICTION
will ferrell / maggie gyllennhaal

as reviewed by Jack Crompton at Amazon.com, January 24, 2007

Maggie steals the show...

This truly original and creative story is told with dry wit, great acting, and characters that inspire one’s interest. The mood of the movie is offbeat and 'odd' from start to end. I loved it. The story is clever and weaves an odd dance between a novel of fiction and the reality of Harold Crick’s (played by Will Ferrell) life. Simultaneously, a strange and unlikely attraction develops between Harold Crick, a stiff, anal retentive IRS agent and the self confident, leftist, liberal, rebellious owner of a small bakery, Ana Pasquel, played by Maggie Gyllennhaal.

The author of the novel-turned-real is also a wonderfully eccentric character as is Dustin Hoffman's english professor, but what really steals this show is the affectingly pretty and perky Ana Pasquel. She has looks that make one stop dead in their tracks, and her persona in this film is equally attractive. The scene where she is moved by agent Harold Crik's very amateur, yet heartfelt guitar and singing improvisation is one of the most moving scenes I've seen in a long time. You can see and feel her heart buttons being pushed, BIG time.

If you’re in the mood for an offbeat, quirky story that doesn’t fit any of the well-worn molds, this one may just pleasantly surprise you.

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