Will Ferrell has become ridiculously successful as a comedy star, so much so that it’s rarely ever asked if that’s all he is capable of. Rest assured, it is not. The truth is, he has definitely done other projects that don’t attempt to lead with the laugh. In the year 2010, he did a lesser known film titled Everything Must Go that raised the eyebrows of critics and fans who believed Ferrell to be one dimensional. The low budget feature didn’t quite have the marketing campaign it should’ve had though, most fans of Ferrell still ignorant of this film’s existence.
One word describes Everything Must Go better than anything:
One word describes Everything Must Go better than anything: uncanny. Everything about it is uncanny. Be it the characters, the circumstances, or even Ferrell’s pivot away from his usual method of movie making. Uncanny does not mean bad, and it doesn’t mean that Everything Must Go is hard to follow either. Actually, the fact that it’s simple is part of what makes it uncanny. Ferrell plays Nick Halsey, an alcoholic who loses his job, wife, and house all in one day. He returns home from being fired to find he is locked out with all of his personal belongings on the front lawn where he then proceeds to sit, get drunk, and occasionally tries to sell some of his things. Yup, that really about covers the entire thing. Obviously though, there’s a bit more to it than that.
Dan Rush adapts and directs this indie flick based on the short story Why Don’t You Dance. With the plot being so straight forward, everything revolves around Ferrell’s performance and his interaction with the other characters. One thing of particular note – anyone who knows or has known an alcoholic will know that Ferrell’s portrayal is dead on. His performance highlights the problems that arise from substance dependency, as well as the ways in which it can affect those who are just around it. Ironically enough, Ferrell is still funny in certain moments. He’s not trying to be, but it’s almost as though he seriously cannot help it. This was probably concocted by Rush and Ferrell in some weirdly abstract sense, but the point here is that those moments are basically unintentionally funny whilst somehow still slightly deliberate. It’s Ferrell’s pain that the audience will be laughing at, if even doing so out of sorrow or unfortunate relatability. Though the occasional laugh may come, be reminded that this film isn’t a comedy.
Maybe this movie was an avenue for Ferrell to try something different. There’s no doubt that he surely enjoys doing comedies as they’ve made his entire career and he only continues to keep doing them. Everything Must Go however is just such a unique step away from the content that he usually involves himself in. Whatever the reason, it was a wise decision regardless of how much revenue it raked in. Ferrell proved that when he chooses to, he can bring something else to the table despite what others may think.
