Raymond Carver wrote the story “Why Don’t You Dance?” — on which the Will Ferrell vehicle Everything Must Go is based — more than 30 years ago, but its lessons are possibly truer today than they were at the time of its creation.
The story traces the experiences of a down-and-out salesman (Will Ferrell) who loses his job and
his wife and ends up with all of his belongings on the front lawn, where he has to learn to start a new life for himself.
According to producer Wyck Godfrey, the story’s relevance to today is what he and the other filmmakers tapped into when they first considered the material.
“It’s ultimately about a guy who has to look at his life and say: ‘Everything that I’ve done until now may be totally falling apart, what am I going to do from here?’” he says. “I think we live in a time where that’s happening to a lot of people, people lose their jobs all the time, people get divorced all the time and I think that’s something that a lot of people can relate to.”
Ferrell was enthusiastic about the chance to do another role with a bit more dimension than his usual fare.
“It constantly ebbs and flows between these extremely sad, serious moments and these situations that are really humorous,” he says. “It’s not afraid to be emotional, it’s not afraid to be touching, but what I loved most about it is that it’s ambiguous at times — it gives the audience the opportunity to work things out for themselves.”
“Everything Must Go” is now showing on Video On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.
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© 2011 Lionsgate Pictures
