Viewed in
2011
Formats
DVD
Premise
Will Ferrell stars as a disgraced/alcoholic/fired advertiser who finds himself locked out of his house with all his belongings tossed onto the front lawn by his distraught wife. So he holds a yard sale in attempt to rectify his situation.
Liked
The realistic portrayal of alcoholism, the likable cast.
Disliked
The silly soap opera subplot at the end.
Thoughts
In terms of non-Ferrell Ferrell movies, this was his best to date, though I'll always have a soft spot for Elf.
When you're watching a self-destructive main character in a film that's sometimes more about inaction than action, it's essential to have a believable, charming lead. Ferrell succeeded effortlessly. He was the lovable loser with soul and depth in a light-hearted but serious role. Flanking him were strong performances by Rebecca Hall, Stephen Root, Michael Pena, and Laura Dern. Newcomer Christopher Jordan Wallace shined equally as the awkward kid who joins Ferrell's yard sale staff. I'm glad I didn't recognize who his dad was, because that would've distracted me from enjoying his talents portraying a thoughtful, shy and bullied teen.
That's one of the other cool aspects of this film. The characters' flaws were realistic, not resorting to cliches or melodrama. I especially liked how the film makers treated Ferrell's character's alcoholism. Instead of loud outbursts of domestic abuse or drunk-driving, they showed how the disease can be death by a thousand papercuts. We watch with sadness as he relapses, lies to himself and to others, and refuses to recognize his flaws. I'm fortunate to have never experienced/witnessed alcoholism, but I imagine the alienating, deceiving downward spiral is probably more similar to this than driving your car into a river for most sufferers.
For me, the plot writing was a bit weak. Since the film was grounded in reality and a bit of a character-study, you do get some slow moments. Occasionally, there were scenes that didn't move the story, were predictable, or veered dangerously into mumblecore territory. They were mostly forgivable due to the acting. However, one subplot felt egregiously forced near the end. It was straight out of a soap opera plot device and wasn't necessary to further the relationship between three characters.
Obviously, fans expecting typical Ferrell comedy will feel duped. I'm sure the studio wanted to market Everything Must Go as a dramedy, but to me it's more enjoyable if you view it as a drama with light-hearted moments. The film makers treated the characters and alcoholism with care and respect, and the result was a good story about interesting people with human flaws.
What I would change
Got rid of the silly subplot.
