Harold Crick (Ferrell) is a mild mannered IRS employee whose life changes dramatically when one day he starts to hear a voice narrating his every move. Thinking himself mad, he enlists the help of Jules Hilbert (Hoffman), a literary professor, to try and discover what kind of novel he’s in. Meanwhile, writers blocked author, Karen Eiffel (Thompson) is having trouble killing off her main character, Harold Crick…
This is a great movie, a really great one.
Funny, witty, intelligent and superbly written, Zach Helm has crafted a truly magnificent piece of work. Theacting is able to keep up with this fantastic script and Marc Forster’s direction manages to bring out the best in an already standout film.
Will Ferrell turns down the comedy dial but still owns every single scene, showing us that he’s far more than simply the funniest man in movies today. Comparisons with Adam Sandlar’s Punch Drunk Love, aren’t misplaced.
Maggie Gyllenhall’s Ana Pascal also manages to hit another superb home run, playing the love interest with just enough pace and grit to be a foil to Will’s stick in the mud.
Add in the many talents Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah and you just can’t lose.
Gloriously filmed in and around New York, some of the shots show an almost Woody Allen level of love for the city.
If there is one criticism of the film, it’s that the ending to some may seem a little (and I mean a very little) bit contrived, or possibly a cop out. This however is only one opinion and certainly not one I share.
What’s we’re left with is a hidden gem of a film that passed under a lot of people’s radar first time round. I only hope it finds it’s spiritual home on DVD as it simply one of the best films I’ve seen this year and makes me very interested in seeing what Zach Helm decided to do next.
A thoroughly enjoyable, intelligent and superbly funny film.