Everything Must Go
The film that kept coming to my mind while watching Will Ferrell in “Everything Must Go” was Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love.” That film also starred a former “Saturday Night Live” comedian-turned-box-office-hit-maker, Adam Sandler, in a role that was at once outside of the actor’s comfort zone, and yet threw into focus everything we enjoy about that actor. If for no other reason, that makes “Everything Must Go” as valuable to Ferrell fans as “The Other Guys,” “Anchorman,” or “Old School.”
Another film that came to mind is Robert Altman’s 1993 masterpiece, “Short Cuts.” As with that landmark, “Everything Must Go” is based on the short story, Why Don’t You Dance?, by Raymond Carver, whose stories– based on this film and Altman’s –go back and forth between tragedy and comedy that sticks in the throat, and although writer-director Dan Rush lacks Altman’s gifts for intersecting narratives and getting bone-deep performances from his actors, he does bring out the best in Ferrell in a role that will (hopefully) lead to more unorthodox choices for the actor in ways his last foray into dramatic comedy, 2006’s underrated “Stranger Than Fiction,” did not.
Ferrell stars as Nick Hasley, a husband and businessman who is first seen after getting fired from his job of several years. He sits in his car, replaying the discussion with his boss in his head as he opens up the Swiss Army knife he’s been given as a token of the company’s gratitude; it should be no surprise, then, that the knife finds its way into his boss’s tire in the parking lot. On his way home, Nick stops at the local convenient store to get some beer. He gets home to find his belongings on the lawn and a letter from his wife on the front door. (She’s leaving him, but you probably already figured that out. Too bad Nick is kind of in denial.) Nowhere to go, with no means to transport his stuff, Nick hunkers down on the lawn, drinking beer and trying to get comfortable. Drinking is not a new hobby for Nick, however; alcoholism– and a recent fall off the wagon –has caused his life to spiral in this direction. His AA sponsor happens to be a cop (Michael Pena), who gets him a reprieve from being arrested by allowing him three days to sell his belongings as a yard sale. A local kid, Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace), whom Nick sees riding around on his bike, becomes an unlikely ally in accomplishing this task.
Think of the Will Ferrell on display in not just the aforementioned films, but also the likes of “Elf,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers,” “Melinda & Melinda,” and others. What characteristics stick out? For me, the typical Ferrell character tends to be surprisingly well-versed in the world (even when he’s acting like a dimwit) and hides his emotions, allowing them to implode when provoked. Your typical Ferrell character also lacks a filter, meaning that there will be many times when his blunt honesty will alienate and/or take others off guard. Now taking these characteristics into account while watching “Everything Must Go,” it should strike many viewers that this character is not really all that different from those we’ve seen Ferrell portray before; it’s just that Nick Halsey moves at a different speed than those earlier roles, and the reasons for his behavior are in plain sight. Nick spends much of the time unchained from social conventions of behavior and undeterred in his pain and alienation from those around him. Rush hit the nail on the head by tapping Ferrell to play Nick; his presence not only gives the viewer instant identification with the character but also allows us to see the real potential in Ferrell as a dramatic actor (especially in his scenes with a mother-to-be, played by Rebecca Hall, and an old high school classmate, played by Laura Dern, that reveal more about Nick’s insecurities than his antics with Kenny). I’m not saying Ferrell will be headlining productions of Shakespeare on Broadway anytime soon, but perhaps “Everything Must Go” will inspire screenwriters to think outside the box in how they write roles for him. Of course, people wondered the same about Sandler’s on-screen career after “Punch-Drunk Love,” and well, did you see “The Grown Ups” or “Just Go With It?”
