In this movie, which I saw last night, Will Ferrell successfully creates a character to whom eating a cookie is an enormous risk. Eating a cookie. He stares at the cookie. It’s not so much the COOKIE that is the problem. It is the fact that it is a gift. And also the fact that he has never had homemade cookies, only store-bought, and he is afraid of having a new experience. He lives his life in such a way that he can avoid new experiences. I realized, in watching that moment – that moment when Will Ferrell hesitates when he is offered the cookie – or no, he doesn’t hesitate – that’s not it: He is offered the cookie. It has just come out of the oven. He immediately says, “No thanks.” HIs whole LIFE is about saying “No thanks” to EVERYthing. Without thought. He has nothing against cookies. He’s not allergic to chocolate. He doesn’t think he’s about to be poisoned. It’s an automatic response for him. This is not an easy kind of character to create – and there is nothing in Will Ferrell’s work before this that would suggest this KIND of man. Will Ferrell plays extroverts, jackasses, fearless eccentrics, weirdos, sex pervs. He’s hilarious. But watch him in that moment when he can’t take the cookie. This is truly the critical moment of his life. It all comes down to this moment. A lifetime boiled down to its essence. He is afraid. He is afraid. And why is he afraid? For the first time, ever, in his life – you can see him ask himself the question. Why am I so afraid? Not just of the cookie … the cookie is only a symbol … why am I afraid of EVERYTHING? Why? Will Ferrell is so perfect in this moment, so simple and true. My eyes flooded with tears – watching that brief expression of internal despair flash over his face – the hesitation, the caution, and now the knowledge that maybe … just maybe … he doesn’t have to live like that.
It’s a wonderful performance – one of the best I have seen this year – and the reason why is all encapsulated in the cookie scene. First of all, it’s wonderful because – empirically – he does a good job with the scene. Second of all, it was the moment, for me, when I realized: Wow. This movie is GOOD. Thirdly, I was watching an actor open himself up in a way that I had never seen before. Ferrell, personally – but also any actor. It’s the kind of performance that is even MORE moving because of the expectations we have of Will Ferrell. He is not ‘acting’ – he doesnt’ have one moment in this movie where he reminds us: Member? Member who I am? I’m Will Ferrell, funny guy!! He plays Harold Crick. A humorless shy cautious IRS agent. He IS that guy. It is a complete transformation – and even more moving and effective because it is HIM doing it. It’s never schmacty, the way Robin Williams’ more serious parts can sometimes be. It is real. It is a deeply compassionate performance. It has no ego in it. He submerges much of his natural tendencies into the demands of this particular part. I want to hug him for it.
During the cookie scene, my heart was breaking and sprouting wings at the same time. Now that’s a good moment in a movie that can generate such a response. I felt: Oh God. Oh God. He’s letting himself have feelings for her. He has feelings for her. And on the heels of that, I felt the sadness … the inherent sadness of someone that shy, that pained … letting himself open up. Trying to accept his own feelings. Trying to accept the cookie. Trying to not say “No thanks” for once … but say “Yes”. There’s something heartbreaking about those moments. I have them myself. It’s not easy for certain types of people to say “Yes”.
There is so much else to love about this movie – the story itself, first of all. It really is about the artistic process – and Emma Thompson’s search for the ending of her book. It is handled with humor, and yet – you just get the sense that the writer, the director – those who have made this movie – GET that this is an important search. To some, it would seem an easy choice: “Sheesh, who gives a shit about the ending of the book! Harold should live!” Ah yes, but that is only one way of looking at it. Another way is from the book-lover’s point of view. What would happen if Dostoevsky killed Raskolnikov? The ending of that book – with its possibility of redemption – has always seemed to me to be piercingly correct. I remember the first time I read the book – and as I approached the end, I completely expected that Raskolnikov would either be killed, or would commit suicide. This seemed to be the only way the book would end. But no. Dostoevsky had other plans. Dostoevsky had something ELSE that he wanted to say. Even now, I can feel a lump growing in my throat as I think about the ending of that book. And this is what Stranger Than Fiction looks at. What if Dostoevsky’s original plan had been to kill Raskolnikov? And what if Raskolnikov had somehow gotten wind that he was the main character in a novel being written … and in order for the novel to be finished – he would have to die. Now yes, he would lose his life … but he would be guaranteed immortality, and ALSO he would have the chance, for the first time in his miserable sorry little life, to be part of something GREAT. Harold Crick, a man who has never made waves in his life, who has no real friends, who is just now falling in love for the first time ever, who is slowly learning that to accept a cookie will not make him shatter into a million bits … has to ask himself: What have I ever done that is as great as writing a masterpiece? What has been MY role on this planet? How have I contributed? Have I done anything that even comes CLOSE to what this author (played by a superb – when is she not – Emma Thompson) has done?
I found myself, by the end of the movie, wiping tears off my face. Why was I weeping? Because it was such an unbelievable joy to sit in that movie theatre and to watch that story unfold. Up until the last couple minutes, I had no idea how it would resolve … and when it did … it was so absolutely RIGHT that it seemed inevitable. Only I hadn’t seen it coming. Roger Ebert in his review closes with:
The ending is a compromise — but it isn’t the movie’s compromise, it belongs entirely to the characters and is their decision. And that made me smile.
I felt that. I felt the beauty of all of the characters – the choices they each had made, the ways that they had grappled with issues of death, and art, and love. These are not facile characters, or shallow. They are people who all deeply care about whatever it is that they care about. This is often not the case in movies – where the characters seem to be just the agents of the plotliine. They move the plot along. (And Dustin Hoffman, as the literature professor Harold Crick seeks out, makes that point. “Are you a victim of the plot? Or are you driving the plot? So stay home tomorrow – don’t go to work – and do absolutely NOTHING – and see if the plot continues on without you.”) These characters live. Watch how Maggie says, “You are not okay. You are severely injured.” I am still laughing about how she says that line, and how beautiful and human and real it is. “You are severely injured.”
But what I am really left with is the image of Will Ferrell, in his bland trenchcoat, holding his bland briefcase, staring at Maggie, with her little kerchief on her head, and the swooping red dragon tattoo flying up her arm … and she holds out a plate of hot gooey cookies, smiling at him with a strangely open yet baffled smile … and he just can’t say Yes. He stands there, and he can’t say Yes … and he wonders, he wonders to himself: why. why. why can I not say Yes …. what would happen if I just said Yes?
Best movie I’ve seen all year.
I’ve got the afternoon off. I was thinking of trying to catch a movie. I may have to see this one, now.
Tommy – as a writer, I think you might really get a kick out of it.
ok honey you made up my mind
now im going to the movies
Oh, you make me want to see it!
I was worried it was going to be what you called “schmacty” – like Robin Williams gets, exactly.
wow, looks like i have to arrange a date with my bride soon to see this.
One of the funniest lines in the movie:
“I’d love to come, but I left my thimble and my Socialist reading material at home.”
Makes total sense in context and is one of those moments in movies that really feels like real life – when someone unexpectedly makes you laugh.
“I’d love to come, but I left my thimble and my Socialist reading material at home.”
Actually, I say that all the time. I fail to see what’s so funny about it….
Since I never leave home without my thimble and my Socialist reading material … EVER … I think the line is hilarious.
You GOT it! That was such a perfect scene, where you know he’s conflicted. I think I leaned forward and said, “Come on….come on….TAKE the cookie” when I was watching. And the end? Everyone’s resignation to the fact about what should happen to Harold? It killed me.
Jen – oh man I thought I was gonna lose it during that final montage. With the Emma voiceover. KILLED ME.
I’m trying not to give it away!!
And you know who I thought did an amazing job in her teeny-tiny part with maybe one line? The bus driver. She just NAILED her one moment that she had. So so good. Whoever you are, actress, you’re wonderful!!
I just looked her up. Holy crap – she is ACTUALLY a bus driver with the CTA – and has no credits other than “bus driver”. Denise Hughes. God. I am blown away by that. She had that one moment with her cell phone – member Jen? “IS HE OKAY? OHMYGOD, IS HE OKAY?” And then her 2 co-workers hugging her – that long long hug- during the montage.
That’s it, I’m going to see this movie Sunday after my writing workshop. I hear nothing but wonderful things about it. Thanks for such a beautiful review!
Yes!!! I CANNOT believe that she is an actual bus driver. How strange. I loved how all those people’s parts tied together at the end.
I know … I kept wondering: Now … how will the little boy tie in? And what is up with bus-driver lady? Mysterious … how they were connected. But so often in life those moments happen when everything converges …
I just thought it was so fantastic.
You know what else I love? That they didn’t ruin the movie by showing too much or setting up the movie in the wrong way with the trailers. Whoever edited those did a really good job of portraying the movie for what it is- a quirky, funny, GOOD film. They could have run on Will Ferrell’s popularity and strength as a outrageous comic actor, but instead they showed how good the movie is. I liked that, and it made me want to go see it.
I’m not sure any of us are going to be able to resist seeing the movie after that review…
Jen – yeah, you’re so right about that. The previews were really effective. I remember the previews to The Weatherman were NOT effective – they made it seem like a wacky Nicholas Cage heartwarming eccentric movie – and I ended up seeing it, and I thought it was GREAT – some of Nicholas Cage’s best work, really good – but it was one of the most depressing movies I had ever seen. Seriously. Bleak. I was haunted by it afterwards.
And I just don’t think the movie was served by the goofy poster of him with the archery kit on his back and the hangdog expression on his face – or the preview campaign which played up the 1 or 2 laughs in the film.
Dumb.
Yeah, they got in bigger crowds maybe – but on the night I saw it it was definitely an audience full of people who were expecting something else … and so they kept FORCING themselves to laugh, they were laughing at parts which were truly tragic in context, etc.
So the marketers found the WRONG audience for it. They pulled in the lightweight audience who were totally unprepared for the type of movie it really was – and they annoyed the heavyweight audience members like myself – by forcing me to sit and watch it with such snickering morons around me.
What a great review! I’ve been wondering if the movie was as good as the commercials made it look.
A couple other examples of the whole ad campaign thing:
I loved Punch Drunk Love. I don’t mind Adam Sandler – but I’m not a huge fan. But I love PT Anderson, so I was really psyched to see it. It was an amazing movie – and I thought it was great that they did not market to Adam Sandler’s fan base (who have made him a bazillionaire) – but to the indie art-house folks who would go see it, and who would get it – not market to the ones who would sit there waiting for Sandler to do a funny face or funny voice – and then be pissed when he didn’t deliver.
Same thing with 8 Mile. They made it rated R. It needed to be rated R. Eminem’s huge fan base probably has a median age of 15 years old. Instead of forcing that movie to be PG-13 – which would have RUINED it – they let it be R. And it pulled in the gritty adult audience – and Curtis Hanson fans – and people who weren’t typically Eminem fans. It was still one of the most successful movies of that year.
Wheeee!
See – the reviewer for the Newark Star-Ledger chose to focus on Will Ferrell not being that good, being just another comedian trying to stretch by being as boring as possible – but apparently the reviewer never considered that maybe Harold Crick IS as boring as possible and, by successfully showing us this, Ferrell is delivering the goods. The review actually made me mad because “schmacty” is (thanks to Robin Williams) the ONLY THING a comedic actor is expected to be. The movie got a bad review in the NSL only because it frustrated and exceeded the reviewer’s expectations. That’s lazy criticism, right there – and if you like I’ll organize the torch mob that sweeps you into the job, since you obviously know what you’re saying.
Nightfly –
Ha! Yes, cue the torch mob please. :)
I think a lot of comedians don’t have the ability to do what Will Ferrell did in this movie – or what Adam Sandler did in Punch Drunk Love – or Jim Carrey did in Eternal Sunshine.
Comedians have this thing where they want to be liked. Or no – not just want. They need it. And for good reason. It’s a huge part of the job description – if people don’t laugh you have no job. But then there comes a time, or a job – when you have to give that up – and some are not able to give that up. That’s where the schmacting comes in. A really good actor NEVER schmacts. Johnny Depp does not schmact because, on some level, he doesn’t give a shit whether we LIKE him or not. Tommy Lee Jones said it’s not necessary for an audience to LIKE a character – it is necessary that the audience want to WATCH the character. Some comedians just can’t make that adjustment.
But man, when someone has the bravery to do something ELSE – and succeed at it – and not CARE if he alienates his Saturday Night Live fanbase? I just love them for it.
Will Ferrell WAS this guy. He WAS this Harold Crick guy who never started to live until he realized that he was actually a fictional character.
So good!!!
//The movie got a bad review in the NSL only because it frustrated and exceeded the reviewer’s expectations. //
And yeah – it’s interesting when that happens, isn’t it??
Like – if you go into The Weatherman (for example) expecting your regular old Nicolas Cage wacko eccentric and then are horrified at the bleak depressive you see shuffling through that film – then whose fault is it?
Can you get past your own expectations to see whether or not Cage is actually executing this part well or not? Or are you just gonna bitch because you felt unprepared?
Some critics know jackSHIT about the craft that they are criticizing.
It would be like a sportswriter not knowing how rare a triple play is. Like – if you have zero context for what the craft actually IS – and the degree of difficulty of the craft itself – then how the hell can you write about it?
I think Will Ferrell and the other comedians who have made the leap to “dramatic” acting have a stronger sense of their inner self — their core, so to speak — than Robin Williams has.
His performances, and lately his stand-up, is just FLAILING. He’s so afraid of being really really SEEN, not just watched. I think it — and the alcoholism/drug abuse that is so common to funny people — speaks to a low low LOW self-esteem.
that’s it. i NEED to see this movie within the next 10 days. it’s now a requirement of my life as vital as breathing.
[[also, sheila, a group of us on the floor were playing ‘therapist’ yesterday, and when it was my roommate’s turn to figure out who / what everyone was, i decided to be you. i think running out into the hall and pressing my cheek against the cool wall was what gave it away… ^_- just thought you might be amused to know.]]
amelie – no freakin’ way. I am guffawing!!!
Lisa –
I think that’s a really good point. I see the same thing in Robin Williams that you do … and it’s sad, because he can be so good – when he’s not still BEGGING for us to love him.
But I guess Will Ferrell just jumped at the chance to do this kind of part – and he’s just so wonderful in it. It feel really personal. Like – he’s letting a bit of himself out that maybe he never has before or something.
I hope you get to see it.
freakin’ way, sheila! it was pretty cool. of the people playing, only she or i would have figured it out [i don’t think anyone else here reads you — their loss!]. i made some comment about being on some sort of diet and having my meals shipped around with me [hahaha], and, when she was trying to narrow down location, ended up saying i lived in the New England area. she didn’t ask too many questions that worked toward your writing, which is a shame, but i had all these answers prepared. it was great! the cheek against the wall, though — she was howling!
Oh, and Jen:
How ’bout their first kiss? I loved that whole scene. It wasn’t your typical movie kiss – you know, smooth, or tender, or perfect – it really felt like how first kisses sometimes go. Like: BLAM. Out of nowhere, you’re suddenly attacking each other. Sometimes it really does happen that way – and it’s messy and kind of awkward … I just loved that moment.
amelie – I am dying over here. You impersonated me in your dorm hallway. And someone guessed it!!!
I am howling. I have to tell my friend Beth – who was my partner in crime in hot-red-Irish-face-against-cool-tile behavior.
like i said, it’s only because my roommate reads your blog, too. i’m proud to say i got her hooked last year ^_^
and yes, tell Beth! i’m sure she’ll enjoy it as much as you are.
Sheil – this character sounds like patrick in the beginning of the movie!
Jean – ha!!!
You HAVE to see it then – I think you would totally adore it.
Are you guys coming down Saturday??
I’ve always thought that it’s kinda tragic that Robin Williams hasn’t been in more movies that were better-suited for him. The guy can be absolutely brilliant given the right material, but dramatic acting just isn’t his forte. It’s wonderful when people do have multiple talents, but it’s also no crime to not be great at everything.
It sounds like Stranger Than Fiction is one of those movies that manages to let you know you can trust it. That’s always the best movie-going experience for me, when you sit down and almost from the start you sense you’re in good hands. Hopefully this weekend…
Amelie and Sheila- I am FREAKING DYING!!!!!!! Go sweaty Irish heads!! My daughter is going to a high school dance tomorrow night (at the very same high school that Sheila and I went to- how scary is that??) I doubt highly that she will press a sweaty face against tile, though. Which is a crying shame, in my opinion.
“Sweaty Irish Face” – hahahaha! You are killing me here.
Sheila, don’t get me started on sportswriting. Holy Cats. It’s not even necessary to have played the game (like some snooty ex-jocks like to think), you just have to know what you’re looking at. Some former jocks in the booth don’t have the tools AT ALL to tell us WHY what X did was such an important play. Sometimes the best reporter is the one who describes the action simply, and then tell us why everyone in the action is behaving in that particular manner. It’s not hard, and you can look up the background info on the internet.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is that it’s about the game (or the show) and NOT ABOUT THE REVIEWER. I happened to catch this story this afternoon, and I’m still just cringing. This is a high school ploy that no 30-year old should dare to turn in as their first column for the Worldwide Leader. It will probably wind up getting ripped into teeny bits on my blog.
See, I’m cringing so hard I forgot the link. Heheheh. It’s even CALLED “Me on Me.” Come cringe with me.
hey sheila, this is mitchell’s friend eric, one of your silent but obsessed readers…..
if you’ve ever seen roman polanski’s, “the pianist”, there is a similar “cookie” moment in that film. they are rare finds but so profound, right? in wladyslaw szpilman’s (adrian brody) struggle to stay alive during the relentless occupation of the warsaw ghetto, we see him, at one point, desperately trying to find any morsel of food possible. he finally comes across an unopened pickle jar amongst the ruins of some displaced polish jew’s home. in his desperate, single minded attempt to open it, he fails to realize the german officer standing in front of him. he has been discovered, but when asked what he is doing…his only response is, (loosely) ‘trying to open this pickle jar’. obviously, he is trying to avoid the gastapo, avoid being sent to the death camps, but his needs are so immediate and in the moment: ‘trying to open this pickle jar’…there is such a big picture there, but it is captured in such a small moment. it breaks my heart. such a small moment…but jam packed!
Wow, I really have to see this now. Luckily, I get to go home for Thanksgiving, so maybe I can convince Dad to take me. He’d probably like it, and he’s a big fan of Emma Thompson (really, who isn’t?).
Eric – you’re the Grey Gardens guy, right??
I just saw the show – Christine Ebersole is just out of this world!!
Oh and I totally remember the pickle moment – you are so right. It was heartbreaking and yes – so much in it. This man – this HUMAN BEING – being reduced to that … but it’s a fight for survival. Life or death. He MUST open the pickle jar. God, I remember feeling like I wanted to leap up onto the screen and get that damn thing open FOR him.
The other scene, for me, that just stabbed me like a freakin’ laser beam – was when he played the piano for the German. That German actor – and the look that came across his face – the look that made him remember: Oh yes. This is what it is like to be HUMAN … Heartbreaking.
I LOVED their relationship Sheila! It was so heartcracking- when he said, “I want you.” And when she started singing along when he played the guitar. I loved that they made their relationship and fallin in love seem so real- not overly dramatic/romantic/storybook.
Jen – It was one of the most touching love stories I’ve ever seen. Because it really did seem real. You know how in some movies it seems like people are just so relaxed about kissing, or sex … when in reality, people have all kinds of awkwardness, sometimes, when they kiss someone for the first time, or express their desires. So to have him just say “I want you” like that – with no preamble – and holding that box of “flowers” … I was like: Oh God … that is just soooo real!!
And yeah – she was great. I completely believed how she softened towards him. Very nice.