| Everything Must Go | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Dan Rush |
| Produced by | Marty Bowen Wyck Godfrey |
| Screenplay by | Dan Rush |
| Based on | Why Don't You Dance? by Raymond Carver |
| Starring | Will Ferrell Rebecca Hall Michael Peña |
| Music by | David Torn |
| Cinematography | Michael Barrett |
| Editing by | Sandra Adair |
| Studio | Birdsong Pictures IM Global Nationlight Productions Temple Hill Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Lionsgate Roadside Attractions |
| Release date(s) | September 10, 2010 (TIFF) May 13, 2011 (United States)[1] |
| Running time | 92 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$5 million[3] |
| Box office | US$2,711,643[4] |
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.
Contents |
Nick Halsey (Will Ferrell) is a traveling salesman, who is fired from his job of 16 years following an unspecified incident in Denver related to his alcoholism. When he returns home, he finds his wife is gone, the locks have been changed, and his belongings have been strewn all over his front lawn. A letter on the door tells him his wife has left him, also over the Denver incident, and to not contact her.
Nick spends the night on the lawn. In the morning, he leaves to buy beer and food, returning to find his company car being taken back. In addition, his credits cards no longer work, he has been blocked from the joint checking account he has with his wife, and his phone service is terminated. Nick now has no wife, house, car, money, or phone, and shortly police come by. Nick gets the police to contact his AA sponsor, Detective Frank Garcia (Michael Peña), who provides him with a permit for a yard sale, allowing him three more days before he must move on. Nick gets a boy, Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace), to help him sell his possessions, assuring Kenny he'll pay him for the help, and also that he will teach him to play baseball. The first day's sale is unsuccessful as Nick is unwilling to let go.
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. Nick apologizes to Samantha and she, Nick and Kenny go out to dinner. 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 dinner, Nick meets with Frank, and learns his wife has been staying with Frank ever since she left him. Frank explains to Nick that she deserves a better life. He gives Nick the divorce papers for him to sign, along with some money and a key to the house. The next day, he gives away the last items he didn't sell and shares a hug with Samantha, ready to move on.
Filming took place in Phoenix 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.
The official trailer was released on April 5, 2011.[5]
The film received generally positive reviews, holding a 76% 'fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 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."[6]