I don't especially love Will Ferrell movies, but there are three that he's done that I absolutely love. One is "Elf," the second is "Curious George," and the third, which I'm going to review today, is "Stranger Than Fiction.
I saw this in the theaters with a friend when it came out in 2006, and loved it. It was about books, it was about writing, it was about life, and it made you think, about all of that and more. And so, when I found out Nathan hadn't seen it, I added it to our Netflix queue.
The second time watching it was no different. Well, except for the brief nap Shelby and I took, but that's expected during Sunday afternoon movies on a cold January day. But the plot, the events, and quote in particular still struck me. And the idea of someone writing and narrating your life and affecting your choices, deciding whether you're in a comedy or a tragedy, all fill the space of something bigger. How do we write our own stories? How do we go along with the choices that are written for us: Do we simply sit and wait for plot to happen to us or do we make the plot? And are our lives sometimes really stranger than the fiction we wrap ourselves up in?
Here's the quote that has stuck with me through today, and it's what I'll be thinking about today:
Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention . . . an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause.
I saw this in the theaters with a friend when it came out in 2006, and loved it. It was about books, it was about writing, it was about life, and it made you think, about all of that and more. And so, when I found out Nathan hadn't seen it, I added it to our Netflix queue.
The second time watching it was no different. Well, except for the brief nap Shelby and I took, but that's expected during Sunday afternoon movies on a cold January day. But the plot, the events, and quote in particular still struck me. And the idea of someone writing and narrating your life and affecting your choices, deciding whether you're in a comedy or a tragedy, all fill the space of something bigger. How do we write our own stories? How do we go along with the choices that are written for us: Do we simply sit and wait for plot to happen to us or do we make the plot? And are our lives sometimes really stranger than the fiction we wrap ourselves up in?
Here's the quote that has stuck with me through today, and it's what I'll be thinking about today:
Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention . . . an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause.
No comments:
Post a Comment