Maggie Gyllenhaal and Will Ferrell star in Sony Picture’s Stranger than Fiction. In a phrase, it’s a smart movie of smart people. Don’t be mislead, I’m not saying that Will or Maggie are Mensa candidates, but rather that their characters are smartly written and cleverly played.

Will plays Harold Crick, a dead-pan, detail-oriented, color-by-numbers, mathematically-inclined, everyday-is-planned-and-predictable-and-the-same IRS auditor who completely lacks zest and vitality and humor (at least intended humor). On the up side, Harold can multiply large digit numbers in his head, which proves useful to his co-workers. Harold is obsessive compulsive with numbers; he counts his toothbrush strokes and his steps and ceiling tiles. He hasn’t taken a day of vacation in three years. He lives in a sterile apartment and lives a life devoid of close relationships or warmth or change. He is, however, successful and confident in his auditing sphere where he holds somewhat of a senior-level position.

One day, in the midst of his well regulated existence, Harold, while brushing his teeth, suddenly starts to hear a female voice narrating his life. In his quest to discover the origin of that voice, Harold makes friends, discovers much about his true self and begins to break out of his previous chains. It’s 113 minutes, but time well spent. I heartily recommend this film, particularly if you like smart humor.