Greetings again from the darkness. Seeing this film back-to-back with Mel Gibson's "The Beaver" was a mistake. Following up manic depression with severe alcoholism and mild depression is just a bit too much weight in such a short time. But I guess that's the point of this one. Will Ferrell stars as Nick who loses his job, punctures his boss' tire, and finds out his wife not only left him, but also locked him out of the house with all his belongings in the front yard. That's in the first 8 minutes of the film.
Ferrell proceeds to get drunk ... while sitting in his Lazy Boy in the front yard. He clearly has hit bottom and shows no signs of recovering. At least not until he partners with a lonely, young, bike riding boy named Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace, son of Notorious B.I.G.). This partnership consists of Kenny doing most of the work for the yard sale while Ferrell sleeps and drinks.
Rebecca Hall plays a pregnant woman who is moving in across the street. "What kind of man makes his wife move across country alone?". That's the question Ferrell asks Hall ... and along with the viewer, these two characters understand the answer would be a man just like Ferrell.
What I like about the film is that there are numerous signs of real human emotion throughout, yet none of the main characters overplays their part. If you are unaccustomed to seeing Mr. Ferrell in anything but slapstick comedies, I encourage you to see "Stranger Than Fiction". He really does have dramatic acting skills on top of his amazing comedic talent.
The film comes from first time director Dan Rush and short story writer-extraordinaire Raymond Carver. The script does capture much of the emotion that goes with feeling rejected and searching for numbness in a bottle ... or in this case, a Pabst beer can. Supporting work from Stephen Root, Laura Dern and Michael Pena are solid, but the best scenes are between Ferrell, Wallace and Hall. Don't show up expecting to laugh much. This is a serio-drama that makes you think ... there but for the grace of God ...
Ferrell proceeds to get drunk ... while sitting in his Lazy Boy in the front yard. He clearly has hit bottom and shows no signs of recovering. At least not until he partners with a lonely, young, bike riding boy named Kenny (Christopher Jordan Wallace, son of Notorious B.I.G.). This partnership consists of Kenny doing most of the work for the yard sale while Ferrell sleeps and drinks.
Rebecca Hall plays a pregnant woman who is moving in across the street. "What kind of man makes his wife move across country alone?". That's the question Ferrell asks Hall ... and along with the viewer, these two characters understand the answer would be a man just like Ferrell.
What I like about the film is that there are numerous signs of real human emotion throughout, yet none of the main characters overplays their part. If you are unaccustomed to seeing Mr. Ferrell in anything but slapstick comedies, I encourage you to see "Stranger Than Fiction". He really does have dramatic acting skills on top of his amazing comedic talent.
The film comes from first time director Dan Rush and short story writer-extraordinaire Raymond Carver. The script does capture much of the emotion that goes with feeling rejected and searching for numbness in a bottle ... or in this case, a Pabst beer can. Supporting work from Stephen Root, Laura Dern and Michael Pena are solid, but the best scenes are between Ferrell, Wallace and Hall. Don't show up expecting to laugh much. This is a serio-drama that makes you think ... there but for the grace of God ...