2011 Films: #34-33

#34 Everything Must Go


When Adam Sandler took on and nailed the role of Barry Egan in Punch Drunk Love, it was certainly not the first time a comedian had made the transition to drama, but it was one of the more successful forays in recent history. A few years later, Will Ferrell, known up to this point for only the most physical and high-volume type of comedy, toned it down considerably to play IRS auditor Harold Crick in the very good Stranger than Fiction in 2006. This year, he again went against type in the dramedy Everything Must Go, a film based on the Raymond Chandler short story "Why Don't You Dance?" He plays the part of Nick Halsey, a businessman who finds himself fired due to his alcoholism. He gets home and finds the doors locked, the locks changed, and all of his possessions on the lawn. At first he is resistant--he's pissed off, confused, and in desperate need of beer. With the help of neighborhood kid Kenny (C.J. Wallace, son of the Notorious B.I.G.) and his pregnant neighbor Samantha (The Town's Rebecca Hall), he comes to discover the situation is a blessing in disguise. By putting all of his stuff on sale, he gets the chance to reinvent himself. Ferrell is a delight as always, bringing levity to an otherwise grim situation, and his slowly-accepting character arc is believable especially as his relationships with Kenny and Samantha begin to change. The movie makes you wonder-how do you begin to prioritize your things when you don't know how to prioritize your life?

#33 A Better Life


It was good to see the relatively unknown Demian Bichir receive an Oscar nomination for his work in A Better Life, the latest from director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie). Bichir is humanity personified as Carlos Galindo, a Mexican-American gardener who sleeps on the couch in a one-bedroom apartment that he shares with his son Luis (Jose' Julian, also impressive). They are scraping by. Luis is missing classes and starting to run with the wrong crowds. Carlos' business partner is heading back to Mexico and wants him to buy him out of the business, thus getting the truck and all of the gardening tools. After borrowing money from his sister, he buys their way towards a better life. Immediately after, while on a tree pruning job, his new co-worker jacks the truck. He gives chase but to no avail. He finds Luis--playing hooky at a friend's house--and they go on a hunt to get the truck back. I had a few problems with the story; I didn't feel the Luis character would be so easily swayed away from the dark side considering what he had been getting into and his contentious relationship with his father. Other things came across as much more realistic. One thing is for sure, though-Demian Bichir is deserving of all the accolades. He spends the movie exhausted yet hopeful, resilient in the face of defeat, cognizant of every reality in his limited life. He only wants the best for his son, and their scenes together, showcasing the inevitable push-pull of single fatherhood and adolescence, are remarkably powerful.