Everything Must Go

"Good without the bad ain't no good at all." After Nick (Ferrell) gets fired from his job of 16 years he comes home to find his wife has changed the locks on his doors and all of his stuff is on the lawn. Thinking the best way to fix things is to stay at home Nick begins his new life, living outside. This is a very very good movie and a very different role for Will Ferrell. While not quite as good as Adam Sandler in "Reign Over Me", Ferrell still shows he has what it takes to be a good dramatic actor. There are a few funny parts in this but this is not a comedy. It's a drama with a lot of heart and while the movie is depressing at times it is a joy to watch. Ferrell does have some funny scenes with his own style of humor that adds to the character and watching him with the actor that plays Kenny is a treat. This is not a typical Will Ferrell movie, but being a huge fan I loved it and look forward to more roles like this from him. I highly recommend this. Overall, if you like Ferrell you will like this, if you don't give this a shot still. You may like the change. I give it an A.

Would I watch again? - I think I would.

*Also try - Barney's Version

Everything Must Go is probably Will Ferrell's first truly well done film in years. The Other Guys was pretty good, Step Brothers was funny in parts, but this one totally takes the cake for being a great drama, and schools anyone who thinks Will Ferrell can't do anything but comedy. Though I doubt fans of Old School will think highly of this.

The plot isn't too much, but it sustains a film. Will Ferrell is Nick Halsey, an alcoholic who has had one too many alcohol-related episodes and has finally lost his job. He returns home to find out his wife has changed all the locks on the house, and has moved all of his belongings to the front yard. Frustrated and hopeless, he decides to life on his front lawn, and make the best out of a horrible situation.

He spends his day sucking down Blue Ribbons beers, until he is met by a chubby adolescent named Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace, the son of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.). Kenny's mom takes care of an elderly woman, leaving him free to roam the streets on his bike. Kenny and Nick strike up an odd, but warm relationship with each other and when Nick is informed by his AA sponsor (Pena) that he must move all his stuff off his lawn in three days, he works with Kenny to help them hold a big yard sale.

A sub-plot involves Nick getting acquainted with the woman across the street who has just moved to the neighborhood and is awaiting her husband's arrival. The relationship isn't as strong or as well-crafted as the relationship between Nick and Kenny, but it is still a solid one.

It's also noteworthy that we never see Nick's wife or the woman's husband anywhere in the film. We don't need to, though. The plot works fine without them, and I believe that if we saw Nick's wife in the film we'd get too many arguments between the two which may result in (a) believability being low and (b) a possibility for Ferrell's comedy side to sneak in. We don't need comedy here. We get it, but in tiny, miniscule doses. There is almost nothing funny about this situation.

Once again, this proves that Will Ferrell is a great character actor, and doesn't have to get drunk, shout his lines, or get in goofy fights to be successful. Unfortunately, Everything Must Go's overall performance wasn't impressive, and it may be a long time before Ferrell does something like this ever again.

Not everything here is perfect. The worst flaw is the ending because there is no emotional payoff, and nothing to make our experience anymore than just enjoyable. I wanted more than enjoyable. I haven't read the short story "Why Don't You Dance?" by Raymond Carver, so I'm not sure of any similarities both this and the story share. Everything Must Go is a good film in general, but a great film in terms of Ferrell, who is essentially putting on a one-man-show for more than half the film.

Starring: Will Ferrell, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Laura Dern, and Michael Pena. Directed by: Dan Rush.

I really enjoyed Stranger than Fiction and, since I had heard Will Ferrell's performance in that movie compared favorably to the one in Everything Must Go, was excited to see EMG. I walked away after seeing EMG a little unsure of whether I truly enjoyed the movie or just merely appreciated the quality of the director's vision and execution. Everything Must Go is the story of Nick Halsey (Ferrell), a struggling alcoholic who, in the first 10 minutes of the movie, has been laid of from his job and kicked out of his house by his wife, all within the same day. The rest of the movie looks at Halsey's attempt to manage the tension between wanting what he once had and trying to pursue a life that he desires, even though he isn't entirely sure of what that looks like. I will start by saying I thought the acting of everyone involved, especially Will Ferrell and Christopher Jordan Wallace, was superb and a highlight of the movie. I thought the music and visuals added significantly to the feel of the movie, especially how so much of the movie occurred in the front yard with the records of his father occasionally playing in the background. Now I knew to expect a story that was not a happy-go-lucky comedy (is there one about an alcoholic struggling with sobriety), but was hoping for some more lightheartedness. I did particularly enjoy watching the relationship between Nick Halsey and Wallace's "Kenny Loftus", and thought that the filmmakers did a good job pairing the two actors up. A couple of things with which I walked away: first, I found it interesting how the director decided to show Halsey's eventual growth in the way that he let go of certain things, and to whom he left them. Afterwards, a friend of mine and I discussed how difficult these acts would have been, but thought it appropriate for someone trying to move beyond such a serious issue as alcoholism. I also found it interesting that such a pivotal character, like Halsey's wife, has no screen time at all, save for her voice in one scene. It is as if the filmmakers want us to see how much damage one person has managed to do by simply stepping out of another's life. Overall, I do believe that the movie was well made, with an interesting story and fantastic acting, but the mood of the film was a little heavier than what I was looking for.

Dan Rush's modestly paced 'Everything Must Go' pretty much takes a look at the worst day of Nick Halsey's life and the days that follow where he's left stranded in his lawn. The theme is quite refreshing but even though the movie is tagged a comedy, the humour here is very dry (it does draw a few chuckles) and it felt more like an intense human drama than a comedy. Halsey's situation is depressing and it really makes the viewer want to hate Catherine, even though, the writer tries to make the point that she was justified in treating him that way. But anyway, this is Halsey's story and perhaps to balance the intensity, Rush could have added more quirks. The pacing is quite slow at times but there was never a boring moment. I liked how the director and Ferrell depict Halsey's struggle with alcoholism. However, I felt that the story and characters (especially the supporting ones) could have been further developed. Will Ferrell is excellently restrained which makes Halsey all the more human and easier to relate to. Rebecca Hall is brilliant. Laura Dern has about one scene and she shows the viewer how one scene alone can make an actor stand out. Overall, I wouldn't recommend 'Everything Must Go' to those looking for a comedy. It is an intense humour drama about a man who once had everything and is now forced out of his house and how he struggles and attempts to deal with his problems one step at a time.

I'll readily admit, this is not my favorite genre. This movie was incredibly somber, which was especially depressing considering I was expecting a comedy. One of the quotes on the movie jacket said, "Sharply funny." Not that there were NO funny moments but not nearly enough to classify the entire movie as funny.

Will Ferrell was good in this bleak film. I hadn't seen something quite like this since the 80's movie "Less Than Zero" with Robert Downey Jr. Ferrell played Nicholas, a lush that just lost his job and his wife due to his habit. The movie plays out on his front lawn with all of his belongings as his wife moved all his stuff outside and had all the locks changed.

"Everything Must Go" dives in to the dark and pitiful world of alcoholics. Even though this movie is about an alcoholic it could just as easily be about any addiction. There is not much by way of action or anything really. The movie follows the listless Nicholas as he forges some new bonds and tries to restore old ones all while in his front lawn. It's a slow moving sobering movie that is done quite well.