Are you an alcoholic? I know this is a pretty strange question to ask someone who came here to read about movies worth watching but I have to start somewhere. And I guess it would be best to start with myself. Hi, my name is Rabbit and I was/am a functioning alcoholic. I never got to the stage of day drinking but you can bet your sweet ass that I drank most nights. The old saying I can quit anytime I want proved true in my case and I did quit without much trouble. Now, I indulge in an odd drinking session or two, nothing serious. Although I would sell my soul for an unlimited supply of weed. With that out of the way let’s talk about the movie.
Everything Must Go is not your usual Will Ferrell comedy but a dramedy exploring alcoholism and life in general. It’s not preachy or obnoxious and it approaches this subject surprisingly casually. Actually, you might argue that if they took alcoholism out of the equation, this would be a rather boring movie. And I won’t go so far as to say the same goes for life because it most certainly doesn’t. At this point, I should quote Oscar Wilde: “Everything in moderation, including moderation”. If you’re getting a sense that this movie might be a bit hard-hitting, you’re quite right.
It’s actually quite sneaky, disarming you with humor and then punching you in the gut with thought-provoking and emotional twists. You’ll also get the opportunity to see Will Farrell in a different kind of role. Seven years ago, he was Frank The Tank in Old School, playing a character with a “positive” relationship with alcohol. However, Christopher Jordan Wallace as Kenny stole the show for me. He’s not only a good actor but also a very likable guy. Apart from them we also have Rebecca Hall, Laura Dern, and Michael Peña. So, the cast is quite formidable for this apparently indie dramedy.
Nick Halsey is not having a good day. And that day is about to get much, much worse. You see Nick is an alcoholic with six months of sobriety below his belt. And it would appear that today he reached his breaking point. So, Nick decides to let it all go and live a life totally independent of everyone else. Kenny, a kid with a lot of time on his hands and a childish hope helps him from time to time. Soon, they form a true friendship and Nick starts seeing his neighbors and the world from a different perspective.
Again our characters live in the suburbs and have jobs and opportunities most of us never had in our lives. So, I know some of you will notice this right away and I have to address it. I have to say that despite all of these things being true, they have no impact on the value of the story. A story that seems to be a lot more poetic, intelligent, and emotional than I initially thought. Nick Halsey appears to be an unwitting modern-day Diogenes, a Greek cynic and thinker who loved to get drunk and lived in an empty wine barrel.
Finally, I should mention that the movie Everything Must Go is based on the short story “Why Don’t You Dance?” by Raymond Carver. The characters and the story were expanded although I wish the ending was just a bit more conclusive. Although I do appreciate its ambiguity as you might say that the ending of Everything Must Go mimics life itself in its utter disregard for our personal wishes and notions of how things work.
Director: Dan Rush
Writers: Dan Rush, Raymond Carver
Cast: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Stephen Root, Laura Dern, Michael Peña, Christopher Jordan Wallace
Fun Facts: Made on a $5 million budget, movie went on to make just under $3 million at the box office.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531663/
