I'm not a big fan of Will Ferrel. Never have been. He's schtick has always been acting like a fucking idiot. That said, I love this movie, and Will Ferrel does an excellent job with the character of Harold Crick.

Harold Crick is an auditor for the IRS. And he's just an interesting man as that makes him sound. Until one day he begins hearing a narrator, who is telling the story of his life, including his inevitable death. See, Author Kay Eiffel doesn't write Comedies. In her stories, the protagonist must die. And such it is with Harold Crick. However, Harold's death can't be just any death, it needs to be special, and so Kay has been fretting for close to 10 years on how to kill Harold Crick.

Faced with death, Harold chooses to live the life he always wanted. He goes after the girl, he learns things he always meant to. He turns his life into something with meaning, something that defines him more than just his work. He decides that he wants to live, not because he fears death, but he finally enjoys living. So he seeks out Ms. Eiffel. Once meeting her, and she realizes that she's about to kill a real person, and not only about to, but may have killed others in the past through her writing, she presents him with the book, including the outlined, but as-yet-untyped ending.

This movie is about Literature. It's about characters, and it's about how people respond to the circumstances of their lives. Harold realizes that he's a character in a book, but somehow he still has free will, he still chooses his own path. The question is one of Fate. Can Harold avoid the fate that Kay Eiffel has written for him? It's an interesting question. One which the movie only partly addresses, because this movie isn't about escaping fate. It's about the Hero accepting that which is inevitable, and walking into the fire knowing beyond a doubt that they are doing absolutely the right thing.

This is a beautiful film. It's well shot, it's well timed, and it flows very well. I would argue that it is artistically one of the finest films I've seen in a long time. It's entertaining, and interesting, and wonderful. I highly recommend this wonderful little story about the unexpected Heroes in everyday people.