Why I'm excited about a Will Ferrell film.

In 2006, between starring in the films Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: the Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Will Ferrell did a comedy-drama called Stranger than Fiction. Stranger than Fiction was a remarkably good film. Some couldn't get over the fact that Ferrell was starring in a film that had serious dialogue in it, rather than films with lines like "I love lamp," "It works seventy percent of the time, everytime," and "If you're not first, you're last," but for those who did, it was a strangely good film.

If you were like me, and you were able to see Ferrell outside of Adam McKay's world, you probably saw a film that was a remarkably serious and thought-provoking film. Ferrell's performance was nuanced, playing a tightly focused caricature of a corporate man caught in the corporate world.

And that is why I'm excited about Ferrell's new film, Everything Must Go. The synopsis reads:

"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."

Will Ferrell is a talented actor. Period. Although I find it hard to stomach some of his work, he has an impressive list of accomplishments. Most recently, he starred in a Broadway play titled You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W. Bush. In it's first week on Broadway, it broke the Cort Theater house record and took in $846,507.05 in ticket sales. Also, it opened to "mostly positive" reviews, take that for what it is worth. I saw the play in a recorded performance for HBO, and although it had some slow parts, and much of what he was doing on stage was familiar based upon his previous comedic sketches, it was still pretty darn funny.

As well, this week it was announced that Ferrell will be the 14th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize, handed out non-regularly since 1998 by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Past recipients have included Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart, Neil Simon, and Whoopi Goldberg.

So cheers, here is to the defense of Will Ferrell! Don't hate Ferrell, just hate some of the dumb movies he's done. But make sure you go see Everything Must Go, I think it will be well worth it.