Review of Everything Must Go (2011) by Mike C — 02 Nov 2011

I'm sure this movie gets higher than normal marks because, ooh, Ferrell played an adult in a serious role. He did the same in Stranger than Fiction rather well, so that should not be a surprise. It's a decent character study, but like many American films, can't afford to be honest. And that's the great disappointment.

Ferrell has everything going wrong for him: he's on the edge of alcoholic relapse and he's just been fired. He goes home only to find his wife as left him and left all his stuff in the yard. Hilarity ensues. So I like that he chooses to do pretty much nothing but drink. That's fairly plausible even if the rest of the movie is not.

SPOILER....

All in all, Rebecca Hall is adorable. The black kid is good. Stephen Root was golden as Milton in Office Space but probably should stop appearing in every other movie made. The movie seemed to be heading in the right direction: the guy has nothing, he starts giving his stuff away, he seems to make peace, he straightens the pictures on the wall, he puts the record on. Then he goes outside and gives the neighbor lady a hug? Bullshit.