Stranger Than Fiction - For Foodies

By JULIETTE ROSSANT Many chefs find it difficult to say just why they slave away in the kitchen to feed people that they might not know. Sometimes, simple truths are found in the most unexpected places. Take the recent movie, Stranger Than Fiction (Sony 2006). The main character, who is in fact a character in a novel being written in the movie IRS auditor Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), is auditing bakery owner Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal). She hates him and tries to make his audit impossible; he loves her and is quietly trying to save her from prison. At the end of a long, long day of auditing, just as he is leaving, Ana tries to make amends: Ana: You want a cookie? Harold: Oh, no. Ana: Come on. They are warm and gooey. They're fresh out of the oven. Harold: No. I don't like cookies. Ana: You don't like cookies? What's wrong with you? Harold: I don't know. Ana: Everyone likes cookies... Sit down... Now, eat a cookie: dip it in the milk and eat. [Harold takes cookie, dips in glass of milk and eats half. Breathes deeply, then sighs.] Harold: [slowly] Wow... That's a really, really good cookie... Ana proceeds to tell the tale of how she wound up as a baker. Harold realizes how much he could enjoy a cookie (life). Ana enjoys Harold's pleasure. Thus it is that, half way through the movie, the story really begins... Stranger Than Fiction may well be the best movie Will Ferrell ever makes, supported by some of the finest actors he may ever work with. Overstated? Most of the actors have already received Academy Awards: Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hulce, Linda Hunt, and Queen Latifah. It is funny. It is pathetic. And for all its artifice, you will find yourself sitting at the edge of your seat with a gripping suspense that transcends artifice to the human. Video: Apple Quicktime Trailer Previous articles: Slow Food Tucson Film Festival Casino Royale: James Bond's Bollinger Da Vinci Code v. Diet Code Jose Andres: Zaytinia with Ladies in Lavander Alice Waters: Green Screen Film Festival [Food Flicks - complete] [Cookbook Reviews - complete] Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, film review, Stranger Than Fiction, Will Ferrell --> back to Super Chef