Film Reviews

Everything Must Go

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Rebecca Hall
• Details: US/TBC TBC

Will Ferrell continually represses the urge to be funny in this surprisingly sombre tale of an alcoholic who loses his house and his car, so decides to set up shop on his front lawn. Lacking focus and meandering along without apparent purpose, it's worth watching for an excellent lead turn from the comic actor, but never moves out of second gear, or gets deep enough into its main character to suck you in.
We first meet Ferrell's Nick Halsey as he's being fired from his high paying corporate job. Instantly going and buying booze, he returns home to find his wife has left him and the locks on his house have been changed - with all of his belongings outside. Setting up shop there, he basically spends the whole movie sitting on a chair and occasionally leaving to buy more of grandpa's old cough medicine, or conversing with a troubled local kid. He also manages to befriend and offend Rebecca Hall's heavily knocked up new neighbour.
Films that move at the languid pace in the manner of Everything Must Go require something to keep the audience's attention. That's why characters are always going on a journey of some sort, or why we have genres. But it's just there, existing, not really sure what kind of production it's supposed to be. With a lesser known name in the main role you probably wouldn't b even heard of it; but Ferrell's presence has to have gone some way in attracting the likes of Hall to a slight role - that plays like it's more significant than it actually is.
Ferrell is great, even if he's not sure of the tone either. His guy obviously has a drinking problem but director Rush (who also adapts Raymond Carver's short story) cant balance the comedy and drama, despite trying to play things subtlety. Both Michael Peña and Stephen Root are extremely talented character actors who seem to think they're in a different movie.
Ferrell proves once again that he has chops when not being overtly comedic (for further proof check out Stranger Than Fiction), but not enough about this dramedy clicks.

Review by Mike Sheridan