Will Ferrell has a string of comedies in his acting career that, after a while, I have trouble discerning one from another. But wait! It looks like Mr. Ferrell is taking a turn in his acting career with a bit more drama in an indie movie directed by Dan Rush — and adapted from the short story “Why Don’t You Dance” by Raymond Carver.
It has been a long time since I have looked forward to a Will Ferrell movie. It seems like he has been stuck in a cookie-cutter role. But as I watched the clips below, I found myself actually looking forward to it and making plans to see it opening weekend — not just on the shelf at the video store.
Ferrell plays Nick Halsey, who loses his job after 16 years with the company. When he arrives home, finds all his stuff on the front lawn, the locks changed and his wife has left him. He decides to live with his stuff on the front lawn, but once the police are called he reluctantly decides to put all his stuff up for sale. He enlists some help from a neighborhood kid, Kenny (played by Christopher Jordan Wallace), and meets a neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall). The growing friendship between Kenny and Nick seems like a very nice secondary storyline. And as Samantha convinces Nick that he needs to sell all the stuff on the lawn and start over anew, he starts to discover things about himself and takes steps towards a new beginning.
Light comedy against a drama background could be a very nice change of pace for Ferrell. I look forward to seeing a different Ferrell emerge from this movie.
“Everything Must Go” — which also stars Glenn Howerton, Laura Dern, Michael Pena and Stephen Root — opens in theatres May 13.
. . .
Follow Lynn Tackitt on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pvtgiggles.