Everything Must Go (2011)

Will Ferrell literally had me in tears when he played Ron Burgundy in Anchorman, but his latest role offers an abrupt change of speed, so much so, that he’s near enough slammed on the brakes at full force. A comic looking for new avenues in drama is nothing new. Jim Carrey and Robin Williams have both had a go, and both have been successful. Adam Sandler also had a bash with Punch Drunk Love (2002). With a sombre short story from Raymond Carver as the source material, Will Ferrell is making a bid to be taken seriously.

Ferrell showed signs that he wasn’t just a guy capable of playing man-child clowns; he could do it all – even if it was just for a brief moment. In Everything Must Go, he shows that side again, but with a never before seen dark turmoil. Ferrell plays Nick, an executive VP for a marketing firm. He gets told his services are longer required after giving them 16 years of his life. He also loses his company car, and to top it all off, he gets home to find his Wife has left him, changed all the locks, and left all his belongings on their front yard. It’s fair to say that Nick is at his wits end, and lapses back into alcoholism.

Nick camps out in the yard doing little else but downing beers. His sponsor Frank (Michael Pena), neighbour Samantha (Rebecca Hall) and Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace), a young boy living down the road, all offer support in various forms. Eventually, Nick is given a permit to hold a days-long outdoor sale – allowing him to stay on his yard and sort out his life. The sales become a metaphor, as the cleaning away of possessions he gained while he was with his wife allows him to move on.

Now, the movie I’ve just described could be anywhere from terrific to terrible, so what you need to know is that Ferrell gives a great performance. He never overplays Nick’s drunkenness (like the drunken “we’re going to the gymnasium” of Old School), but never allows us to get too cosy with this severely drunk and depressed character. When Nick looks up an old girlfriend (Laura Dern), she tells him he always had a good heart, but there’s a clear subtext; if you don’t follow up with good actions, it doesn’t count for much, and Nick hasn’t done too well on that part.

The film is written and directed by newcomer Dan Rush, who does an admirable job of limiting the films scope and keep it moving. While the story takes place in and around Stockdale, Rush never really waivers away from the front yard, making it the central location for the majority of the story. However, it never feels confining, which is mainly due to the fact that it’s filmed outside.  

Ferrell was able to deliver a carefully restrained performance, bringing some occasional flashes of his comic skills in his relationship with Kenny and his conniving ex-boss Gary (Glenn Howerton). Everything Must Go is wilfully indie and occasionally too laid-back for its own good, and though the central story is a nice one, it never really gets too emotional, which is a shame because all the performances are solid and Ferrell certainly proves he has more tricks up his sleeve than just making people laugh.