Free "Will"

Nebulaise
Originally uploaded by tangent.

Lex took me to see Will Ferrell's new movie "Stranger Than Fiction" tonight. Filmed in Chicago, the story follows a real man who is actually the main character in an author's work of fiction. As the author writes about the man, he begins to hear her voice as she types. Obviously he thinks he's going crazy (as does everyone around him - the word "schizophrenia" is uttered more than once). But the man resolves to identify the source of the voice in his head, and what it wants from him.

The movie is a little slow but is still really funny in parts. It's not the over-the-top humour I've come to expect from Will Ferrell (think "Elf" and "Anchorman") but he's the sort of comedian I start to laugh at before he's even said anything on screen. And I knew that Emma Thompson was in the movie, but it was a surprise to see Dustin Hoffman and Maggie Gyllenhall on the screen too.

While the movie was a comedy, it still explored the theme of free will versus destiny. Does knowing what's going to happen to you change the way you behave? Or do you always behave exactly how the universe has destined you will?

Looking for meaning in a Will Ferrell movie is not something I'm used to, so you'll appreciate why tonight's cinematic excursion was something completely different. Very Python-esque indeed. Witty, silly, and ultimately rather poignant.