Betsy Sharkey’s film pick of the week: ‘Everything Must Go’
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Try to make time for “Everything Must Go” before it’s gone, gone, gone ...
Comedy kingpin Will Ferrell takes a walk on the darker side of the street as a down-on-his-luck guy having a very bad day. It begins when Nick Halsey’s boss fires him for a binge-drinking incident and goes downhill from there when he finds his wife has literally thrown him out -– all of his belongings are on the front lawn and the locks have been changed.
This cleverly constructed indie film from writer-director Dan Rush was inspired by a Raymond Carver short story that Rush has expanded into a just-the-right size slice of life. In doing so, the filmmaker gives Ferrell plenty of room to move his character through a series of lows and highs with a healthy sense of irony that allows for humor and keeps the movie’s drama from getting too depressing.
There are very nice turns by Rebecca Hall as the new neighbor moving in across the street and young Christopher Jordan Wallace as a latch-key kid who latches on to Nick, helping him sort out his belongings -- and his life.
The film is like a glass of homemade lemonade –- a little bitter, a little sweet, and perfect for a long hot summer day.
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-- Betsy Sharkey. Los Angeles Times film critic