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Stranger than Fiction is a bizarre film. Not quite drama, not quite comedy, it doesn't fit cleanly into any one genre. Will Ferrell stars as Harold Crick, an IRS agent whose personality borders on the autistic. Harold obsessively counts things such as seconds, steps and the number of brushstrokes he uses when he brushes his teeth. His mathematical ability is stupefying, yet but he doesn't put it to much practical use.

At the beginning of the story Harold realizes that somebody is narrating his life. As it turns out, only he can hear the voice of the woman who is describing his life at intervals. Harold appears to be under a serious strain, so his coworker offers him what he believes to be an "easier" audit. Then he meets bakery shop owner Ana Pascal, the subject of his audit. It is clear that making Harold's life easier is not in her plans.

In the meantime, Harold develops a powerful attraction to Ana, which is only exacerbated by the sound of the narrator's voice in his head.

The narrator turns out to be more than just a disembodied voice. She is writer Karen Eiffel, played by Emma Thompson. Karen is in a quandary. She doesn't know how to kill the main character in her novel; Harold Crick. Personally, Karen Eiffel is a mess. A chain smoker with an almost masculine appearance and sloppy grooming habits, Karen almost shows signs of being suicidal. One thing is for sure; she's suffering from a severe case of writer's block.

Help supposedly comes in the form of Penny Escher, played by Queen Latifah. However, Karen does not welcome her new secretary, and accepts her help only begrudgingly.

One of the strangest elements of Stranger than Fiction is that Harold's wristwatch becomes a full-fledged character. It has thoughts, feelings and opinions, and it even tries to communicate with Harold. At one point Harold is oblivious to the fact that Ana Pascal is passing by across the street.

Just at that moment, the voice of Karen Eiffel predicts Harold's imminent death. Harold, understandably, becomes violently upset. He knows that the voice has just signed his death warrant; he just doesn't know why. Try as he might, he can't get it to elucidate the potential cause of his impending demise.

Enter Professor Jules Hilbert, played by Dustin Hoffman. Harold wants the professor's help. However, since the professor thinks Harold is crazy, he is disinclined to offer his help. Still, it seems that Professor Hilbert may be as crazy as Harold is, since he changes his mind suddenly and

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