We have seen Will Ferrell act pretty damn crazy in a lot of movies. At times, he is simply hilarious, while other times, he seems to be stretching it a little too thin. For those of you who saw Stranger Than Fiction, you got to see firsthand that Ferrell can be dramatic and can truly stay sane and play grounded characters. In Everything Must Go, he gets a little darker and plays a complex character battling with some inner demons. The film is essentially about one man and his life crumbling down around him. When you think he is down and out for once and for all, he finds help in the most unlikely places. This film is funny at times, but is also smart, touching, and shows what addictions are capable of doing to good people.
Nick Halsey (Ferrell) is an alcoholic and has been for a long time. And in one day, he is fired from his job and his wife leaves him, but not before changing the locks and throwing all of his stuff out on the lawn. So he sits in his chair and drinks. He never quits drinking. Eventually, he is forced to have a yard sale by his sponsor/friend/detective Frank Garcia (Michael Pena) because it is against the law to live out in your front yard. But what started out as a reluctant yard sale turns into a type of therapy for Nick. A way to start over again and hopefully, he has fallen off the wagon for the last time.
Nick finds help in a young kid named Kenny Loftus (Christopher Jordan Wallace). Nick hires him to watch his stuff and help with the yard sale. But Nick ends up teaching him everything he knows or can offer. Kenny has no father in his life and his mother is never there. He is looking for a father figure, but he will settle for just a friend. Wallace is great and really meshes with Ferrell’s character. They are both searching for something better and with Nick and Kenny, it doesn’t matter how old or young you are. You would have never guessed it, but their pairing is the greatest part of the film.
Rebecca Hall (The Town, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) plays Samantha, Nick’s pregnant new neighbor. And just like Nick and Kenny, she feels alone. Her husband is always gone and it’s just her and the baby. Her and Nick are able to lean on each other without slipping into the romance territory. They never cross that line, and there was no need for them to. The film is a character study and all three of these main characters are having to deal with issues and addiction and it sweeps through all stages of life. Every person is identifiable in some way. For better or worse.
In his directorial debut, Dan Rush takes a simple story and makes it emotional, personal, and sincere. To cast Ferrell may have been seen as a huge risk, but it was perfect. Ferrell restrains himself and you forget you are watching the man who played Ricky Bobby and Ron Burgundy, and that is a sign of some brilliant acting. Just like the The Majestic and The Truman Show were change-ups for Jim Carrey, Ferrell is beginning to undergo the same thing. He is willing to take more and more risks not only in comedy, but being dramatic and choosing material that wouldn’t necessarily be written with him in mind. How can you not respect him for at least trying it?
Everything Must Go is a small yet terrific film that showcases a lot of talent and Ferrell’s is the most surprising and unexpected one of them all.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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