Stranger Than Fiction… this screenplay/play write was most definitely one of my favorite materials we’ve looked at in my English 137 class. There aren’t many negative things anyone can say about this work of literature. First and foremost, let’s talk about the plot. The plot is extremely unlike any other narrative I can think of. Harold Crick, the main character, is a tremendously OCD guy that doesn’t really have much of a life other than his work at the IRS… until he begins to hear a woman’s voice narrating everything he does in his head. Meanwhile, Karen Eiffel is writing a novel about Harold Crick without even knowing of his existence. Long story short, Eiffel was planning to end her novel with Harold’s death, but it turns out to end with a love story between Harold and Ana Pascal and a happy ending.
The way that Harold gets over his OCD by trying to cope with the thought that he could die any day soon is interesting and sweet. Harold goes from a boring IRS agent to a man that falls in love with not only a girl but with playing the guitar, eating cookies, and living his life to the fullest. I was nervous in the beginning that Harold really was going to die, and that Karen wouldn’t change the ending to her novel, but I was pleasantly surprised with the ending of the plot.
Now on to the topic of Harold’s watch. Harold has a watch that seems to have a fictional aspect of it in the movie, and it represents the way that Harold is so OCD over time and numbers. For example, Harold gets to the bus at the exact same time every single day and brushes his teeth the exact same amount of times every single day. The watch plays an important part in this plot because when Harold’s watch stops working, he sets it to the wrong time which leads him to get to the bus stop at a slightly different time than he normally would, saving a child’s life and almost dying. Furthermore, the topic of time has been something we have focused on in my English 137 class which made the relation of time to Harold’s life all the more intriguing.
Overall, I found this play funny, sweet, and a great life lesson: live in the moment and stop worrying so much about what your next move is – focus on the now. This was not only a great play but an awesome movie and I rate it 5 stars.