Everything Must Go (I) (2010)

When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form.

Director:

Dan Rush

Writers:

Dan Rush, Raymond Carver (short story "Why Don't You Dance")

Stars:

Will Ferrell, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Rebecca Hall

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Will Ferrell	...	Nick Halsey
Christopher Jordan Wallace	...	Kenny Loftus (as Christopher C.J. Wallace)
Rebecca Hall	...	Samantha
Michael Peña	...	Frank Garcia
Rosalie Michaels	...	Kitty
Stephen Root	...	Elliot
Laura Dern	...	Delilah
Glenn Howerton	...	Gary
Argos MacCallum	...	Shopper
Todd Bryant	...	Driver - Repo Guy
Tyler Johnstone	...	Big Teenager
Jason Spisak	...	Hipster
Kyle Sharkey	...	Lanky Teenager
Scott Takeda	...	Bank Manager
Matthew Dearing	...	Jacket Buyer

Storyline

After Nick is fired from his sales job, mostly because of his penchant for alcohol, he comes home and finds that his wife has kicked him and all of his stuff out of the house and onto the front lawn. He is pretty intent on just sitting in his chair, drinking beer, on the lawn. His cop friend, Frank Garcia, thinks he should at least pretend to have a yard sale to make it legal. He slowly starts making friends with a neighborhood kid who needs something to do, and a pregnant wife who has just moved in across the street, and Nick finds himself moving on and selling all his stuff.

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Plot Keywords:

yard sale | alcoholic | beer | new neighbor | bicycle | 

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Taglines:

Lost is a good place to find yourself

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 2011 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Pronto Para Recomeçar

Filming Locations:

Aunt Chiladas - 7330 North Dreamy Draw Drive, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$791,677 (USA) (13 May 2011)

Gross:

$2,711,210 (USA) (9 September 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Temple Hill Entertainment, Cowtown Cinema Ventures, Nationlight Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is based on the short story "Why Don't You Dance?" by Raymond Carver - an American author and poet. Director Dan Rush asked permission of Mr. Carver's widow, Tess Gallagher, before extending the story and adding additional characters.

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Goofs

The Band's "I Shall Be Released" was never the first track on any side of an album, as shown when the needle drops on the outer edge. It was the last track on 1968s "Music from Big Pink".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Voice on tape: Rule number 1, know your products. Okay, whether it's a PC or a piece of paper, know how it works. Number 2. Know your customers. Learn everything you can about them. Listen to what they want, and what they don't want. Rule number 3. Go the extra yard, okay? If you don't have the answer, find it. It's that simple. Okay, let's go get those numbers out there.

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.16 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"El Amor Que Sone"
Written by Julian L. Fernandez
Performed by Los Texas Wranglers

User Reviews

Everything Must Go is a well-made movie, but heavier than I was seeking

I really enjoyed Stranger than Fiction and, since I had heard Will Ferrell's performance in that movie compared favorably to the one in Everything Must Go, was excited to see EMG. I walked away after seeing EMG a little unsure of whether I truly enjoyed the movie or just merely appreciated the quality of the director's vision and execution. Everything Must Go is the story of Nick Halsey (Ferrell), a struggling alcoholic who, in the first 10 minutes of the movie, has been laid of from his job and kicked out of his house by his wife, all within the same day. The rest of the movie looks at Halsey's attempt to manage the tension between wanting what he once had and trying to pursue a life that he desires, even though he isn't entirely sure of what that looks like. I will start by saying I thought the acting of everyone involved, especially Will Ferrell and Christopher Jordan Wallace, was superb and a highlight of the movie. I thought the music and visuals added significantly to the feel of the movie, especially how so much of the movie occurred in the front yard with the records of his father occasionally playing in the background. Now I knew to expect a story that was not a happy-go-lucky comedy (is there one about an alcoholic struggling with sobriety), but was hoping for some more lightheartedness. I did particularly enjoy watching the relationship between Nick Halsey and Wallace's "Kenny Loftus", and thought that the filmmakers did a good job pairing the two actors up. A couple of things with which I walked away: first, I found it interesting how the director decided to show Halsey's eventual growth in the way that he let go of certain things, and to whom he left them. Afterwards, a friend of mine and I discussed how difficult these acts would have been, but thought it appropriate for someone trying to move beyond such a serious issue as alcoholism. I also found it interesting that such a pivotal character, like Halsey's wife, has no screen time at all, save for her voice in one scene. It is as if the filmmakers want us to see how much damage one person has managed to do by simply stepping out of another's life. Overall, I do believe that the movie was well made, with an interesting story and fantastic acting, but the mood of the film was a little heavier than what I was looking for.