Movie Review: Everything Must Go
If Hollywood has taught us anything it is that there comes a time in every funny man’s life where he wants to explore his more serious side. Following the footsteps of other great comedians turned drama kings (aka Michael Keaton and Jim Carrey), Will Ferrell plays Nick Halsey, an alcoholic who hits rock bottom in the movie Everything Must Go. In one single day Nick loses his job, and comes home to find that his wife has changed all the locks, and put all of his belongings on the front lawn. Oh and did I also mention that she cancelled all of the credit cards and closed their joint bank account leaving him with no other option but to live on his front lawn. Why does he not stay at a friend’s home? You might ask. Well, it’s suggested that he’s burned a lot of bridges on his journey to the bottom, and that living on the lawn might actually sound like a good idea in a highly inebriated state.
Nick is downright pathetic sitting in his recliner on his front lawn slamming 22 oz. cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon. He makes quite a spectacle of himself in front of his neighbors as his life becomes an open book, making him completely vulnerable and sad as he falls apart for all of his neighbors to witness. One good thing stemming from his unusual living arrangement is that he meets some new neighbors including a mature for his age ten-year-old boy (Christopher Jordan Wallace) and a sympathetic young woman (Rebecca Hall) who lives across the street from him and through her large front window has a scenic view of Nick rotting on his front lawn.
Nick is reluctant to do anything at first and is content with simply living outside of his home. Eventually on the advice of his sponsor, he decides to hold a yard sale in an attempt to move forward. As anyone who has de-cluttered or feng shui’d their living space knows, it is quite liberating to get rid of the excess that we all have lying around. Reinforcing that metaphor, purging physical clutter leads to the shedding of the emotional clutter that fogs up our minds and in Nick’s case, causes him to fall off the wagon. Naturally, Nick selling all of his belongings fuels his desire to get sober and straighten his life out, which includes re-examining his relationship with his now estranged wife. Though Nick is an unsuccessful member of Alcoholics Anonymous, his bizarre yard sale may provide him with a lasting form of therapy that will hopefully keep him sober for good.
Though Will Ferrell is convincing in his pitiful portrayal of Nick Halsey, I wasn’t ready for this serious of a role from him. Though there were some lighthearted moments in this film, it is impossible to leave the theatre without feeling kind of bummed out. Don’t get me wrong, this film is very well done but the reality of this being what some people actually have to go through is often too painful to watch. Additionally, I was waiting for Ferrell to suddenly turn into Ron Burgundy and bring some levity to the film. I don’t think I am the only one that will have trouble with this aspect of Everything Must Go.
