Phil sees EVERYTHING MUST GO at the Camera 7 Pruneyard-May 25, 2011

Once again, I frequented the Camera 7 in the Pruneyard Campbell to see a film that my good friend Brad recommended to me last week. He said he really enjoyed it and it's a must see. Brad is like me, a film buff who loves going to the movies. So today I saw EVERYTHING MUST GO, and I have to admit, my friend picked a really good movie for me to see.

Will Ferrell portrays alcoholic executive Nick Halsey, who unfortunately is having a really bad day. He gets fired from his job, only to come home to find out that his wife has left him and locked him out of the house, with all his belongings left outside on the front yard. His car also gets repossessed and his bank accounts are frozen. While trying to make sense of his life, he holds a yard sale so he can start over anew. Joining him on his trip are his new neighbor Samantha (Rebecca Hall), a kid named Kenny (Christopher Jordon Wallace), and his AA sponsor Frank Garcia (Michael Pena).

Ferrell does a phenomenal job playing Nick, who numbs his pain and loneliness with beer after beer after beer. Seeing Farrell cast against type was a stroke of genius, and the payoff of seeing him barely holding on to his sanity was brilliant. It's a soft spoken, black comedic role for Ferrell. Not the type of roles he's known for playing, but he nails Nick perfectly, creating pathos and a sense of vulnerability.

This was the feature film debut by writer/director Dan Rush, who based the film from the short story "Why Don't You Dance?" by author Richard Carver. Rush's style of directing is very laid back; it feels like the film was improvised and he was there with a camera. I personally enjoyed the scenes when we see Nick up early at dawn and later at dusk, the golden sun gleaming almost like a beacon of hope for Nick to cling to.

EVERYTHING MUST GO is a wonderful, splendid, film that really captures that moment in time when your life transitions to something you weren't expecting. And at the end, you come out of it a better person. A solid script, fantastic acting, and great directing makes this film an enjoyable experience. So I say two big thumbs up!

EVERYTHING MUST GO is now playing in theaters nationwide, including at the Camera Cinemas here in San Jose and Campbell. To view showtimes visit http://www.cameracinemas.com/index.shtml

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!