Everything Must Go

“Making The Most Of A Bad Day”

Will Ferrell surprises us with some serious dramatic moves in his latest film “Everything Must Go”. Ferrell plays recovering alcoholic Nick Halsey on the worst day of his life. After being fired from his job, he returns home to find his wife has left him, locked him out of his house and has thrown all of his belongings out onto the front lawn. His response is to just sleep there on his favorite leather chair to the displeasure of his neighbors.

He drinks beer like a fish drinks water, that is until his cash runs out. With his credit cards not working, he finally decides to turn his plight into a massive yard sale. He befriends a young neighborhood boy to help him, smartly played by Christopher Wallace. He also strikes up a friendship with the pregnant woman moving into the house across the street, especially well-played by Rebecca Hall.

But beware if you’re a fan of Ferrell’s more comedic characters like Ron Burgundy or Ricky Bobby. Despite how the trailers seem to be advertising this film, “Everything Must Go” is as much a comedy as Tom Hanks’ “Cast Away”. Which is to say that it’s not a comedy at all. Ferrell gives a surprisingly sincere performance as a man who has hit bottom. He plays Halsey with a razor-sharp vulnerability that allows us to see, perhaps for the first time, that Will Ferrell has what it takes to compete with Oscar-calibre actors.

This performance reminded me of Tom Hanks’ successful transformation from comedy to drama in films like “Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump”. Others have attempted this crossing-over before (Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey) but Ferrell’s film is so grounded in the real world that it seems easier to accept. Everything is stunningly intimate yet feels wide open, probably because nearly the entire film takes place outdoors. That makes “Everything Must Go” a breath of fresh air indeed.

DVD Double Feature:

“Everything Must Go” is based on Raymond Carver’s short story “Why Don’t You Dance”. Carver has such a wonderful gift for telling stories set in modern urban America. In 1993, Robert Altman combined several Carver stories into one epic tale of urban lives in “Short Cuts”. The film’s all-star cast includes Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Julianne Moore and Jack Lemmon among others.