Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Everything Must Go
2010
**½
Director: Dan Rush
Cast: Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall, Michael Peña, Christopher Wallace, Glenn Howerton, Stephen Root, Laura Dern

Nick Halsey has a very bad day. After getting sacked, he discovers that his wife has thrown his stuff out and changed the locks in their house. Nick, a latent alcoholic, decides to stay on his front lawn until he can figure out what to do with his life. This likeable but rather modest comedy is based on Raymond Carver's short story Why Don't You Dance?. The premise is unusual, but everything that follows is rather predictable. An unnecessary twist regarding Nick's personal life towards the end threatens to derail the entire film. Will Ferrell gives a nicely subdued performance, although I am not quite convinced that he has the acting chops to carry off the more dramatic moments in the story.