Everything Must Go - A Movie Review

I think the front lawn is the best place in the house.

Everything Must Go was sold to theaters in 2010. Nick gets locked out of his house. All his prized possessions are on the front lawn. That’s not the worst of it. His wife is leaving him, and now he’s lost his job. Attempting to start over, he must sell everything he owns in a yard sale.

You can think up multiple scenarios when locked out of the house. Everything Must Go is a fundamental film. By analyzing the characters and finding the story’s moral, the film establishes you can’t keep living in the past.

Will Ferrell is a multi-talented actor. Aside from his comedic background, Ferrell is also an excellent dramatic actor. Ferrell’s character has a lot of frustration. Nick is fighting several demons, one being alcohol. Making up his lawn as a home, Nick assembles observations of his neighbors. Ferrell was excellent in the delivery of one monologue discussing his addiction.

These types of movies are all about the characters. Everything Must Go wouldn’t work if it was just Nick moping around and griping about the situation. The characters help us understand him. There were a couple of instances where I was unsure if he was a good man. Supporting characters also enlist needed action for excitement value.

Rebecca Hall is one of my favorite actresses. She’s a visceral actress who knows how to keep her characters grounded. Hall and Ferrell do a splendid job together. They had good chemistry. Just moving into the neighborhood, Samantha becomes a needed friend to Nick.

I like how Hall guided her emotions in one scene, thinking about who Nick is. She is slightly apprehensive but wants to help him.

That’s not the only friendship Nick creates. The friendship developed between Nick and Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace) is sweet. Wallace did a good job conducting his character. Nick and Kenny connect through loneliness. I loved the scene where they were hanging out in the pool.

More familiar faces appear in the movie. Stephen Root is a great character actor. I was happy to see him. More credits include Michael Pena, Glenn Howerton, Rosalie Michaels, and Laura Dern. Everything Must Go also incorporates ensemble roles from passersby in the neighborhood. Nick doesn’t care how people view him.

All of Nick’s belongings get dumped on the front lawn. In his directorial debut, Dan Rush had the props team put numerous objects in the movie. History is evident in each one of these entities. Ferrell uses all the items in some way, sitting in his favorite chair, tossing a baseball, or even setting up the rug.

The film has a quiet atmosphere. There is so much more. Something is always happening in the neighborhood. We don’t stay in one location. Nick rushes back and forth, figuring out his situation. I laughed when Nick spied on a rather personal affair between his neighbors at night.

Alcoholism is a theme. Nick’s addiction is so bad. He is constantly drinking. He fights with a store clerk because he has no money. His addiction is sad to watch. It also may be a trigger to some viewers. Moving on is tough, but admitting to faults makes life easier. The needing could have had more of a payoff instead of ending it with a simple feel-good note.

I didn’t realize that Everything Must Go was based on a short story. Although it’s a premise we have seen in most media, the film occupies several surprises. Find Everything Must Go on Amazon Prime. It’s a good movie.