The Last Movie I Saw

One can certainly see that Everything Must Go (directed by Dan Rash) is based on a short story, in this case one by Raymond Carver. The plot is very concise, built mainly on three interpersonal relationships with protagonist Will Ferrell at its center. As each relationship is developed, they display how his character is basically a decent guy, but one with a self-destructive streak that compels him to sabotage any good will he has built up with his friends and acquaintances. Forced to confront this reality, he initially checks out but slowly comes to realize there are some things worth preserving in his muddled life, and it isn't the possessions strewn across his front lawn by the wife who dumped him. I have to admit that early on, I was seeing this movie primarily in terms of its seeming stunt casting of Will Ferrell. It was hard not to be thinking about how this wasn't like his usual starring vehicles, and wondering if it would reach the point where he did something more in line with his typical persona. That moment never came, and at about the half-hour mark, I stopped expecting it-- which is another way of saying that as I got absorbed in the story, Ferrell's performance conformed to the dictates of the narrative, for the most part quite effectively, and that real acting was trumping any potential star turn. It's not a great movie, but I doubt it had any pretensions to be one; but it is very good and even somewhat moving as it moves towards its completely logical conclusion. Kudos to the entire cast, especially Rebecca Hall and Christopher Jordan Wallace, who along with Ferrell keep things on a human level.