Do not read this article if you wish for the plot of "Stranger Than Fiction" to remain secret. I figure that since the movie is now three years-old it is now safe to discuss the plot. I could give you the gist of the movie and leave you with some idea of whether or not you might like it without divulging the story's details, but those details are necessary in revealing what makes this movie such a success."Stranger Than Fiction" should be required viewing material for any aspiring writer, filmmaker, or producer of any media, not because of excellence in craft (it is nothing extraordinary in that department), but because of its powerfully relevant metaphor of an artist's responsibilities.
Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a middle-aged IRS agent who lives every day on a meticulous schedule. One day he hears a voice narrating his every move to him, and very accurately. The voice is merely a nuisance to Harold until it predicts his death. With the help of a Literature Professor, played by Dustin Hoffman, Harold discovers that the voice he hears is the voice of Karen Eiffel, an author who always ends her stories with the protagonist's death. Harold, with his IRS resources, tracks down Karen and confronts her. It turns out that Karen is in the process of writing a novel about Harold Crick, a character she believed to be fictional. She is also trying to find the perfect way to kill Harold in her story.
After meeting each other, Harold and Karen are both convinced that if she finishes the story with Harold's death, Harold will die in real life. Karen discovers the perfect way to kill Harold and gives him a handwritten ending of the story (before typing it in her typewriter, making it official). Harold gives the ending to the professor who tells him that it's the perfect story. He urges Harold to let Karen use that ending because it would be the most poetic ending, even if it means Harold's death. After reading the ending, Harold gives Karen his blessing, agreeing that the end is perfect.
SPOILER. After a series of events we find Harold lying in a hospital bed: battered, bruised, and very much alive. Karen brings the finished story to the professor, complete with her updated ending. The professor tells her that story is okay, but not the masterpiece that it was when Harold died. You know what? Karen is okay with it.
We live in an age where the stories we are told (movies, books, television) and the stories we participate in (video games) are full of sex, drugs, and violence. Children are conditioned to think that promiscuous sex can be romantic, alcohol can be a gateway to romance, and those who use guns and swords to solve their problems are heroic. Is it any wonder that rape, suicide, and murder are so rampant? The worst part is that the storytellers bear no responsibility for their actions. With their First Amendment rights, they will never be forced to leave those certain elements out of their stories, but they can choose to leave them out. Use Karen Eiffel as an example. She chose protecting a human being over writing a great story. Even if a story can be told more poetically with sex or violence, is it worth it? Is it worth being told at all? At whose expense is art gaining merit? The children of the world face enough tribulations as it is and deserve some real heroes to look up to. Even if it means they won't be quite as entertained. Are innocent lives the price we pay to make art?
6 comments:
hm, I very much enjoyed Stranger Than Fiction and agree with you about how it executed without having to be obscene.
One thing I must mention though is that sex scenes in themselves can be tasteful. And even when they are not, they can still tell a story. Disregarding all those "teen" movies that sex is just shown as a normal activity and can become sleazy and distasteful, there are some good movies out there in which sex is used to show the true nature an emotion of the characters. It can say a lot about a relationship we are following. Is the sex passionate and meaningful, or is it cold? Look at their faces. Do they do it in love? Hm. It can show so much about the characters intimacy and how that plays out in their life. I agree that children shouldn't be watching movies in which sex is included, but I understand the reason for it.
Sorry if this was out of line or weird. Just a thought.
Keep writing.
No, not weird at all. I appreciate the feedback. I agree that there are tasteful ways to portray sex. One problem I have is that some movies show characters engaging in sexual activities very early in their relationships and it is made to seem magical. Movies often only give a snippet of a relationship so the audience does not see how their relationship progresses and whether or not becoming so physically intimate early on caused any problems. Example: Juno vs. Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. They are similar movies in terms of genre, but one gives a very realistic scenario involving teen sex while the other romanticizes teens having sex the first night they meet.
Very much agreed. I like the Juno/Nick and Nora reference. When I watched Nick and Nora I was so taken aback by the fact they did it on the first night, hah that was definitely not necessary. I think that actually may have killed the movie for me.
Jeez, Micheal Cera keep your pants on! ha, Paper Heart looks decent. Kind of a girly film I guess. What do you think?
I think Paper Heart looks really interesting. I'm always down for something girly. I think the documentary/fiction mix could be worth the risk or it might seem really unnatural. It's got potential though.
Yes, it looks interesting indeed. BTW- this is Emily from NP. I realized that was not apparent. haha
Not gonna lie. I wasn't sure who this was. I was just happy to get comments.
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