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Everything Must Go
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (7th January 2012). |
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The Film
 The acting trajectory of Will Ferrell has been an interesting one. After watching him yuck it up on “Saturday Night Live” (1975-present) for a number of years, Ferrell was lucky enough to be one of the few SNL alumni to have a seriously successful film career. After a few years of churning out comedies where he was essentially playing himself, I kind of bailed on showing up to his movies. His shtick got old – fast – and it looked like he had nowhere to go, but then I noticed he was lending his talents to smaller, independent films in dramatic roles that were completely against his typecast persona. I’ll admit to watching none of them, but I appreciated the fact that he was trying to branch out of being known strictly for his comedy. My first taste of what he’s capable of came this past week, when I sat down to watch “Everything Must Go” (2010), a film based on the 1977 short story “Why Don’t You Dance?” by Raymond Carver, and if it’s any indication of the talent he possesses, he should definitely be doing more roles in this vein. I’m sure he got just as burned out making big studio comedies as his fans did watching them (the diminishing box office returns surely made that much obvious), so the natural thing to do would be branching out and showing he’s capable of displaying some range. Comedic actors tend to receive a fair amount of accolades when they do a complete about-face and showcase their dramatic side. The best example I can think of to site is Adam Sandler, an actor who I almost prefer in dramatic roles since he seems to nail them so well. It can sometimes be difficult to fully assess their efforts, though. An actor known mainly for comedy might appear to be giving a great dramatic performance, but is it really the acting or is it just the fact that it’s so against type for them? In Ferrell’s case here, I’m going with the former. Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) has just lost his job due to a reoccurrence with alcoholism while on a business trip in Denver. Though the specifics aren’t disclosed, it’s not only enough to get him canned but he also returns home to find his wife has left him over the incident. Worse still, all of his possessions are strewn about the front lawn and the locks have been changed. She’s also taken the extra steps of canceling his credit cards, freezing his bank account, disconnecting his cell phone and having his car repossessed, leaving him with literally nothing aside from the items which populate his front yard. Despondent, and with no glimmer of hope in sight, Nick decides to just slum it up for a while and live in his front yard. This doesn’t sit well with his neighbors, however, and soon the cops show up to “evict” him from his makeshift residence. Luckily, Nick’s sponsor is a cop, Det. Frank Garcia (Michael Peña), who grants him a temporary permit to hold a yard sale, giving Nick 3 days to figure out where he’s going to take his life. Now, faced with this looming deadline, Nick wallows in alcohol and drowns his sorrows, managing to make some new neighborhood friends along the way. He befriends Kenny (Christopher C.J. Wallace), a young kid whose mother works nearby, leaving him to his own devices for most of the day. The two form a tenuous bond that is continually strengthened despite Nick’s inability to show he cares about anything other than drinking. But his most eye-opening experiences come through his conversations with Samantha (Rebecca Hall), a pregnant woman who has just moved in across the street. Through their talks, Nick is forced to confront his own shortcomings and decide how he can move on with his life. Although this is a film about an alcoholic, it resists getting cliché and preachy with the subject. It’s evident that Nick has a problem with drinking; it’s cost him nearly everything he has in life. We see Nick drink – a lot- and we also see how he’s affected when his money has run out and he becomes desperate for a drink, at one point even asking a man for a single beer as he exits a convenience store. The thing with Nick is that we don’t see if he becomes some kind of monster when he’s guzzling booze; we only see a vulnerable man who struggles with a dependency that is costing him his life. He’s not a violent drunk, or even a comedic drunk – he’s just one of those alcoholics who can mostly function with that monkey on his back. This makes him more of a sympathetic character than anything, as we genuinely feel bad for the guy. He hasn’t caused anyone any harm, only himself. His sponsor, Det. Garcia, is only called on when Nick runs into a situation with the cops. The impression I got is that Nick, like many alcoholics, has had numerous relapses and rather than call on his sponsor to talk him through a difficult time, he’d rather just resort to drinking and pretend as though the problem doesn’t exist. Ferrell plays Nick with just the right amount of pathetic desperation and somber pragmatism that is often lacking in many films about alcoholics. He doesn’t experience any significant mood swings or outrageous behavior, unless, f course, you’d call living on your front lawn and getting tanked outrageous. It can sometimes be hard to watch Ferrell on screen and not be waiting for him to deliver some big guffaw. I know I kept waiting for some moment where he’d break character and deliver a few funny lines, but he’s comedically sober for the entire runtime. Nick is the kind of guy who prefers to sweep his problems under the rug than deal with them head on, and I thought Ferrell was excellent in conveying those emotions. When Nick talks with his boss about the incident in Denver, right before being fired, he casually mentions that the corporate bosses had already discussed this with him and everything was ok. He’s clearly embarrassed with himself, but he also doesn’t want to take the necessary steps to resolve his issues. That conflict only worsens when his life completely crumbles, leaving him with no other choice but to face his inner demons and begin anew. I see some serious potential for Christopher C.J. Wallace who plays Kenny, the young child who plays Nick’s unlikely companion throughout the film. When he first showed up, I thought he was going to be playing the local troublemaker who would torment Nick while he lived in his sod paradise. Once he revealed his true character, that’s when the film began to take on a heart I hadn’t expected. For those who don’t know, Wallace is the son of the late 90's rapper The Notorious B.I.G. That should be fairly obvious as soon as you look at him, though, since he’s the spitting image of his father. I think I may have even said as much when I reviewed the film "Notorious" (2009), where he plays a younger version of his famous father. Wallace has a natural strength in front of the camera, giving an emotional performance as a child whose mother neglects him for most of the day, making Nick an easy choice for friendship since he lives outside. Despite Nick’s inability to be open and warm to the kid, Kenny sees the good in him and sticks around to help him sell off his possessions and get his life in order. Watching them bond felt genuine, never forced. I had to laugh when they sit in a pool together, telling “your mama” jokes that I hadn’t heard for a decade. By allowing the full runtime of the film to build it up, the payoff when they part ways feels that much more rewarding.
Video
Are you ready to get up close and personal with Will Ferrell’s clammy, sweat-laced, dying-for-a-beer face? No? Well, too bad, because the 2.40:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image does a remarkable job of reproducing his mug with stunning clarity. You can almost count the beads of sweat building up on his brow as he feverishly digs for booze around his new digs. The overall look of the picture is more or less “normal”, with no hints of post-production color manipulation or tweaking. This looks like real life. The neighborhood which has become Nick’s new home displays lawns of lush green grass set against the bright painted homes and a crystal clear blue sky. Night time scenes are well lit, resulting in a darkened image that never looks oppressed by the black levels of the evening. There’s not enough visual candy to make this one stand out as a reference quality disc, but it’s no slouch. I would consider this to be a perfect example of how good a simple, low-budget independent film can appear in high definition.
Audio
As is typical with most “indie” films these days, the soundtrack is a quiet mixture of dialogue and cookie-cutter acoustic songs by artists who all sound remarkably similar, meaning that the film’s English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit is a reserved one. This is a well-balanced track, with pitch perfect dialogue levels that are loud & clear at almost any volume. The only time there’s any kind of range is when one of the aforementioned songs is played, but I can’t say they don’t sound excellent in lossless audio. Minor neighborhood sound effects are used to good effect, providing a degree of immersion that practically pulls you onto Nick’s front lawn with him. I particularly liked the recurring sound of barely-empty beer cans sloshing around their one final drop, as Nick is constantly on the hunt for a can containing even a tiny sip of beer. Subtitles are included in English, English for the hearing impaired and Spanish.
Extras
The supplements here are a bit on the fluffy side, but there are a few worth checking out thanks to Ferrell’s participation. We’re given an audio commentary, a couple featurettes and some deleted scenes along with the usual bonus trailers and bookmarks feature. The film’s audio commentary with director/writer Dan Rush and actor Michael Peña isn’t what I call engaging or interesting. I noticed a lot of dead air hanging around while the duo seemed to just be watching the film. Ferrell participation seems crucial for the track, especially when you consider that Peña doesn’t have a terribly substantial role. Most of what they state is mere observation that viewers can easily discern for themselves. I’m going to say this one is a pass because it’s lacking the main participant that would’ve made it something worthwhile. . “In Character with Will Ferrell” (1080p) is a featurette that runs for 8 minutes and 25 seconds. The actor, mostly known for his comedic roles, discusses what drew him to this film. The other actors in the film are interviewed briefly to slather praise on Ferrell’s abilities as a dramatic actor. It’s nice to see him so candid and not constantly mugging for the camera. “Behind the Scenes” (1080p) is an EPK-style featurette that runs for 10 minutes and 29 seconds. You’ve seen this type of piece a thousand times before – cast & crew interviews, minimal footage of the film being shot, discussions of plot & characters. Honestly, you learn very little from this that viewers wouldn’t have already gleaned from the film. The only thing I didn’t know was that the film is based on a short story. There are a number of deleted scenes (1080p) that were cut included here: - “Nick Gets Fired (extended version) runs for 3 minutes and 39 seconds, there’s more dialogue here about Nick’s drinking problem before he gets canned. - “Specialist Sears” runs for 2 minutes and 47 seconds, Nick has lunch with a neighbor who keeps a scrapbook filled with photos of his war atrocities. - “Nick Calls a Hooker” runs for 4 minutes and 11 seconds, he finds her number listed in a porno magazine, but once she arrives he only wants to talk. Instead, she steals some CD's and drives off when he passes out. - “Kenny Makes a Tough Face” runs for 41 seconds, Nick asks to see Kenny act intimidating. - “Nick’s New Apartment” runs for 1 minute and 30 seconds, this would’ve been the film’s coda, though it isn’t made clear if he’s moving into his own place, or if he’s checking into a sober living facility. Bonus trailers (1080p) are included for the following Lionsgate releases: - “Margin Call” runs for 2 minutes and 38 seconds. - “The Future” runs for 2 minutes and 37 seconds. - “The Conspirator” runs for 1 minute and 48 seconds. - “Swingers” runs for 2 minutes and 7 seconds. - “I Love You Phillip Morris” runs for 1 minute and 51 seconds. - “Hesher” runs for 2 minutes and 18 seconds. - “EPIX promo” runs for 1 minute and 12 seconds. The disc is also enabled with Lionsgate’s standard bookmarks feature.
Packaging
The single disc comes housed in a standard amaray keepcase. There is a slipcover which replicates the cover art included with the initial pressing.
Overall
Ferrell displays some great range as an alcoholic trying to get his life together, and the characters that inhabit the world around him feel genuine; they aren’t caricatures of neighborhood folk. The film is poignant and reflective, showing how someone doesn’t need to be violent or belligerent to destroy their life with a chemical dependency. It’s well shot, well acted and a fine little film that should be seen, especially if you enjoy Ferrell as an actor but would like to see him exhibit a little more diversity in his roles.
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