Harold Crick (role played by Will Ferrell) is a lifeless auditor and he works for the Internal Revenue Service who has no one to wake him or wish him a good morning in the mornings except the alarm in his wristwatch. He very consciously saves time. On day Harold gets to hear the voice of the woman who narrates his life. On trying to talk to her he realizes that she does not know that Harold can hear her. Harold goes to audit a baker Ana Pascal (role played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and strangely get attracted despite his moral stands. Later that afternoon, his wrist watch stops and he resets the time asking a passerby. Then suddenly he hears his narrator that this gesture of his would lead to his death.
Harold consults a psychiatrist role played Dr. Linda Hunt who decides that it is a case of Schizophrenia. Harold insists that this is not his problem and the doctor refers him to Jules Hilbert (role played by Dustin Hoffman) a University Professor. First Hilbert thinks that he is mad but there was something about the narrator’s way of beginning the prediction. He decides there may be something about this stranger than fiction episode.
Harold returns to audit and end of the day Ana packs him a box of cookies which he refuses as a part of his principle. Strangely, a demolition crew tries to demolish Harold’s house mistaking it for an abandoned one. When Hilbert come to hear about this he too starts believing in the narrator’s prediction. Knowing that life does not much to offer him he starts living it his way. Starts playing the guitar, takes long vacation and starts dating Ana who reciprocates passionately.
The ‘movie Stranger than fiction’ has come to the last lap of the film. While discussing at Prof. Hilbert’s office, they notice an interview on the TV with Karen Eiffel (role played by Emma Thompson) who is an author. Harold traces her to her house and explains how he the character wants to live and does not want to die prematurely. She then realizes how her writings have actually been experienced by a man who lives in his own world. On his request she gives the story’s manuscript to be read by Harold who takes it to Prof. Hilbert. The professor finds it a masterpiece and he says that the death of Harold in the stranger than fiction, novel is inevitable.
In the climax scene of movie, Karen on the verge of typing those last words where the ‘Harold’ character of the story dies, changes her mind. She realizes that by letting live the character in her story ‘Harold’ she may actually rescue a person from meeting his end. Karen Eiffel manages to rescue the real life ‘Harold’ by saving the character in her novel and gives him a new leash of life. She also realizes how the ending of her novels could have possibly been the reason for some one’s death.
The ‘Harold’ in the movie therefore continues to live on. He goes back to Ana full of passion.
Will Ferrell got nominated for a Golden Globe for the role of Harold Crick in the movie. Zach Helm also got a nomination for Writers Guild of America Award in the best original screen play section. Indeed this is stranger than fiction!