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Will Ferrell stars in this ambitious, yet ultimately average black comedy about a collision between fictional fantasies and reality.

Ditching his usual goofball humour in favour of a more serious, yet still light-hearted role, Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, an average Joe with little excitement in his life.

That is, until this rather boring fellow finds himself as the central character of a novel, with a narration of his every thought and action playing inside his head.

Whilst this would be enough to drive anyone insane, things take an even greater twist into the surreal with then narration begins to preach about his imminent death',

Oh dear.

Naturally terrified, Harold sets off to locate his narrator, and beg her not to kill him. It's an entertaining adventure; emotional, funny, powerful and poignant in all the right places and delivered by a superb cast.

As Harold, Ferrell displays a side his talent rarely ever seen; playing the average straight guy and portraying fear, anxiety and confusion excellently, whilst, with a series of one-liners the character doesn't intend to be funny, still retaining that comic genius for which he is most adored.

It's a bold move for Ferrell, but one that pays off well and should work as a nice transition into more serious acting.

Maggie Gyllenhall (Donie Darko/Mona Lisa Smile) is simply a delight as Harold's love interest, Ana, the anarchic cookie-maker. Playing her role brilliantly in this odd couple' combo, Gyllenhall is funny, sweet, and totally believable, as is Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee/Harry Potter) as Kay Eiffell, a neurotic novelist fighting a bad case of writers' block and who ultimately holds the key to Harold's fate.

Dustin Hoffman also puts in a pleasant supporting turn as Professor Jules Hibert, Harold's aid in solving this most bizarre of mysteries, whilst actor/hip-hop star Queen Latifah is engaging as Eiffell's put-upon assistant.

Yet a great cast can not make a film work all on their own, and despite an original concept, Stranger Than Fiction is let down by a huge dose of predictability that prevents it from being a great film rather than just a good one.

On the whole though, this is a good effort from all involved, and well worth checking out if you're eager to avoid the yearly onslaught of feel-good Christmas flicks no doubt making their way to cinemas right about now.

Learn more about this author, Chris Skoyles.
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