stranger than fiction.

Last night, Jordan and I settled down to watch one of our favorite movies, Stranger Than Fiction. If you haven't seen it, you must. Any literary nerd will enjoy it. The dialogue is brilliant, and the plotline is 100% original. I couldn't quite put my finger on why I loved it so much, and then I realized: Watching this movie is like listening to a good book.

The mundane and ritualistic life of Harold Crick, played by Will Ferrell, takes a bizarre turn when he begins to hear his life being narrated... and his imminent death foretold. Harold spends the rest of the film a) determining exactly what kind of story he's living, b) trying to make his story worthwhile, and c) coming to terms with aforementioned imminent death.

A part of me, the deep thinker part of me, loves the film for its theology and its lessons about fate vs. free will. The other part of me loves that Maggie Gyllenhaal plays an anarchist baker who plans to conquer the world with cookies. I would like to be her, please.

(My favorite scene? It's a tough call, but it might be the moment when Harold, played by Will Ferrell, finally lays it all out there and starts playing the guitar. Plus, really, who doesn't love "Whole Wide World"? Really, who? Jordan, take note: The soundtrack is officially on my list of things I want.)