Everything Must Go (film)
Encyclopedia
Everything Must Go is a 2011 American comedy-drama film
directed by Dan Rush and starring Will Ferrell
. The film was based on Raymond Carver
's short story
Why Don't You Dance? and was released in theaters on May 13, 2011.
) losing his job, it is shortly revealed that this is due to him being an alcoholic
, and his involvement in an unknown incident in Denver. When he returns home, he finds his wife is gone, and that his belongings have been thrown out all over his front lawn. The locks to his house have been changed, along with the alarm codes, effectively preventing Nick from entering his house. There is a note from his wife, telling Nick she has left him, making note about the Denver incident. Nick then leaves to buy beer, and finds his company car being taken back by the company. In addition to this, Nick's ATM card is blocked and he has to survive with the little money he has in his pocket.
On talking with the bank manager, he comes to know that he has a joint account with his wife and she has blocked the cards while his savings, US$45,000, is still in there. Nick's phone service also gets terminated, leaving him with no wife, house, car, money, or phone. He gets help from Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace) to look after the things on the lawn while he goes shopping. Soon they become friends, and they decide to sell Nick's stuff together. Nick assures him he'll give Kenny money for the help, and also that he will teach him to play baseball.
Nick spends all his remaining money on beer and food. When Nick experiences anxiety due to withdrawal from alcohol, his new neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall
) gives him a Valium. Nick reads Samantha's problems and repays her harshly when she says that he must return to normal. The next morning Nick awakes to find Kenny has arranged his belongings on the lawn and has put price tags on them. All the things get sold by that evening. During dinner he encounters his supervisor who explains that the incident in Denver probably did not happen since the female employee he got drunk with tried blackmailing other employees. After having dinner with Kenny along with Samantha, he goes to meet his detective friend Frank Garcia (Michael Peña
). Nick’s wife calls Frank's cell phone, which Nick picks up and finds out that she has been staying with Frank ever since she left him. Frank explains to Nick that she deserves a better life and needs to agree to a divorce. He also gives him some money, a house key, and divorce papers for him to sign. The next day he gives his most valued possessions which he didn’t want to sell to his neighbor and Kenny. He also makes up with Samantha and they hug.
and Scottsdale
Arizona
. The film was released September 10, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival
as well as the London Film Festival
on October 15.
, based on 112 reviews from film critics. It's consensus states: "It may not improve on the Raymond Carver short story that inspired it, but Everything Must Go resists cliche and boasts a pair of magnetic performances from the perfectly cast Ferrell and Wallace."
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
directed by Dan Rush and starring Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
. The film was based on Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver
Raymond Clevie Carver, Jr. was an American short story writer and poet. Carver is considered a major American writer of the late 20th century and also a major force in the revitalization of the short story in the 1980s....
's short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
Why Don't You Dance? and was released in theaters on May 13, 2011.
Plot
The film opens with Nick Halsey (Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
) losing his job, it is shortly revealed that this is due to him being an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, and his involvement in an unknown incident in Denver. When he returns home, he finds his wife is gone, and that his belongings have been thrown out all over his front lawn. The locks to his house have been changed, along with the alarm codes, effectively preventing Nick from entering his house. There is a note from his wife, telling Nick she has left him, making note about the Denver incident. Nick then leaves to buy beer, and finds his company car being taken back by the company. In addition to this, Nick's ATM card is blocked and he has to survive with the little money he has in his pocket.
On talking with the bank manager, he comes to know that he has a joint account with his wife and she has blocked the cards while his savings, US$45,000, is still in there. Nick's phone service also gets terminated, leaving him with no wife, house, car, money, or phone. He gets help from Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace) to look after the things on the lawn while he goes shopping. Soon they become friends, and they decide to sell Nick's stuff together. Nick assures him he'll give Kenny money for the help, and also that he will teach him to play baseball.
Nick spends all his remaining money on beer and food. When Nick experiences anxiety due to withdrawal from alcohol, his new neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Hall
Rebecca Maria Hall is an English actress.In 2003, Hall won the Ian Charleson Award for her debut stage performance in a production of Mrs. Warren's Profession...
) gives him a Valium. Nick reads Samantha's problems and repays her harshly when she says that he must return to normal. The next morning Nick awakes to find Kenny has arranged his belongings on the lawn and has put price tags on them. All the things get sold by that evening. During dinner he encounters his supervisor who explains that the incident in Denver probably did not happen since the female employee he got drunk with tried blackmailing other employees. After having dinner with Kenny along with Samantha, he goes to meet his detective friend Frank Garcia (Michael Peña
Michael Peña
Michael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
). Nick’s wife calls Frank's cell phone, which Nick picks up and finds out that she has been staying with Frank ever since she left him. Frank explains to Nick that she deserves a better life and needs to agree to a divorce. He also gives him some money, a house key, and divorce papers for him to sign. The next day he gives his most valued possessions which he didn’t want to sell to his neighbor and Kenny. He also makes up with Samantha and they hug.
Cast
- Will FerrellWill FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
as Nick Halsey - Rebecca HallRebecca HallRebecca Maria Hall is an English actress.In 2003, Hall won the Ian Charleson Award for her debut stage performance in a production of Mrs. Warren's Profession...
as Samantha - Laura DernLaura DernLaura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
as Delilah - Christopher Jordan Wallace as Kenny
- Stephen RootStephen RootStephen Root is an American actor. He is best known for his comedic work on the TV sitcom NewsRadio, in the film Office Space and as the voice of Bill Dauterive and Buck Strickland in the animated series King of the Hill...
as Elliot - Glenn HowertonGlenn HowertonGlenn Franklin Howerton III is an American actor of television and film. He is best known for his role as Dennis Reynolds on FX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia...
as Gary - Michael PeñaMichael PeñaMichael Anthony Peña is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his roles in the films Crash, World Trade Center, Observe and Report, 30 Minutes or Less and Tower Heist...
as Frank Garcia - Shannon WhirryShannon WhirryShannon Whirry is an American actress who was raised in Green Lake, Wisconsin.-Career:Shannon Whirry trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in the 1980s, appearing onstage in Butterflies Are Free and Mrs Warren's Profession. However, she began to work primarily in erotic B movies in...
as Nurse
Production
Filming took place in PhoenixPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and Scottsdale
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The film was released September 10, 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
as well as the London Film Festival
London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is the UK's largest public film event, screening more than 300 features, documentaries and shorts from almost 50 countries. The festival, , currently in its 54th year, is run every year in the second half of October under the umbrella of the British Film Institute...
on October 15.
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews, holding a 76% 'fresh' rating on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, based on 112 reviews from film critics. It's consensus states: "It may not improve on the Raymond Carver short story that inspired it, but Everything Must Go resists cliche and boasts a pair of magnetic performances from the perfectly cast Ferrell and Wallace."