Saturday, May 28, 2011

Everything Must Go





It's no secret that I'm a Raymond Carver fan. I love his poetry and stories, particularly the line in "Jean's TV" where he "conducts the shabby business of his life" on her telephone. In "Everything Must Go" based on Carver's story, "Why Don't You Dance?", Will Ferrell morphs into the typical Carver character, Nick, a man on the brink of loss, despair, alcoholism, and endless pools of regret. Ferrell's performance is a formidable one of restraint. One can hardly believe this is the same man who starred in "Elf." We meet Nick as he's losing his job, relapsing into a life of booze, and returning to a house where his wife has thrown all his stuff on the lawn, changed the locks, and left a note which we see in part (ie, You make me sick.) He realizes his credit cards and bank account has been frozen and so he sits on his lawn and drinks beer after beer, looking at his stuff (Best touch for Carver fans -- Nick pulls out an old viewfinder which falls apart in his hands). Without giving away too much of the plot, Nick begins to have a yard sale, enlisting the help of a young African-American boy named Kenny whose mother is taking care of an elderly woman down the street while Kenny rides his bike around the neighborhood in endless circles. Across the street, a pregnant woman moves into the house sans her husband and also provides a sounding board for Nick as he navigates the shabby business of his life.

There's nothing like seeing all your stuff in front of your house to make it look worthless. Nick refuses to part with much of it for a while until he gets into the spirit of things and decides he doesn't need it. The movie's transformations are subtle, much like Carver himself, the kindnesses not maudlin. What happens to Nick finds voice through the objects of the physical world and the actions of others. When Kenny reads Nick's book about making things easy to buy, he labels all of Nick's belongings with price tags that have titles that could easily come out of a Carver story, my favorite being the lamp -- Light Up Your Life, Don't Sit Around In the Dark. By the end, Nick has crawled out into a light of sorts with painful revelations about his wife, his drinking, and his future. At one point he tells the neighbor she needs to put up curtains so she can't see her future. But ultimately he's forced to see his and it doesn't look so good or bad. As AA advises, he's taking it one day at a time, the business of his life becomes less shabby, and we realize that maybe everything isn't lost and even though he doesn't dance, he becomes more himself, the highest goal there is.

8 comments:

the walking man said...

Don't give up --- Now Sleeping in the house of his ancestors--Gil Scott Heron.

^^ I kind of doubt he would've sat on his front lawn with his shit figuring what to do next.

Charles Gramlich said...

I've never heard formidable used with Will Ferrel. I've generally hated him in everything I've seen him in. And he's messed with some of my fond memories, like Land of the Lost and Bewitched. But maybe he is growing up as an actor? I may have to watch this one.

Lana Gramlich said...

I think I despise Ferrell even more than Charles, but this movie does look interesting. If only they had someone else in the lead! *sigh* Ah well, I may have to see if I can tolerate a movie's worth of Ferrell for this one...

Sorry for my recent absence, btw. We were gone on a road trip & I've been struggling to catch up since our ret'n.

Anonymous said...

The highest goal is to sacrifice your life to an ideal.--M. Gandhi

Anonymous said...

Will was great in
"Old School." Can't remember why, though.--Oscar Winner

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to see the movie. Will Ferrell is more often than not annoying but I'll give this one a shot.

On another note, all this rain sucks, but it makes everything so emerald green and beautiful. A wonderful frame built into your picture.

Glad you all had fun on A-day, I was hoping to see it rain fire. Had a couple of beers ready for the Prince of Peace.

Anonymous said...

If I sat in my front yard someone would call 911 and I'd be arrested.
I can't even own a piece of real estate on the internet.

Anonymous said...

you hv got a grt arse woman!