Will & Harper

Last updated

Will & Harper
Directed by Josh Greenbaum
Produced by
Starring
  • Will Ferrell
  • Harper Steele
CinematographyZoë White [1]
Edited byMonique Zavistovski [1]
Music byNathan Halpern [1]
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • 22 January 2024 (2024-01-22)(Sundance)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Will & Harper is a 2024 American documentary film following Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as the duo made a 17-day road trip across the United States. The film has received positive reviews from critics.

Contents

Creation and release

“I should’ve made that decision 40 years ago. But I wouldn’t have had you guys; I wouldn’t have gotten hired [at Saturday Night Live]. I would have had a completely different life.”

—Harper Steele in Will & Harper [2]

Comedian Will Ferrell and writer Harper Steele met at American sketch comedy television program Saturday Night Live where Ferrell was a cast member for several years; [3] they later co-wrote Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga . [2] Steele reached out to Ferrell among other friends during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 to inform them of her intention to go through gender transition and Ferrell helped produce the film, documenting a road trip the two subsequently took, alongside Jessica Elbaum, Christopher Leggett, and Rafael Marmor. The filmmakers initially considered deliberately creating comedic moments, but decided to let funny moments occur spontaneously instead. [4] The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. [3] In February 2024, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film. [5]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. [6] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 75 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [7]

The New York Times critic Manohla Dargis called the film, "A Transcendent Road Trip," and summarized that, "A documentary about Will Ferrell and his friend Harper Steele brought the house down" at the Sundance Film Festival. [8] She went on to say, "I was transported into the Sundance Film Festival that I always hope for, the one in which a movie surprises and moves and maybe delights me, and so successfully makes good on its promise that, after the lights come up, the crowd delivers the festival version of hallelujah with a floor-shaking standing ovation." At Collider , Taylor Gates rated this an 8 out of 10 and characterized it as a "must-watch", praising the principals' openness and the mixture of educational and entertainment elements, but critiquing the pacing. [9] The Daily Beast 's Kevin Fallon opined that this film will save lives for being "brave and characteristically unusual". [10] Benjamin Lee of The Guardian rated this film 3 out of 5 stars, writing that "there are enough earned moments of piercing sadness and shaggy humour that those that feel more engineered can distract, the film trying to force itself into the structure of something it doesn’t need to be, pushing us away just after we’ve been pulled in close". [11] Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter stated that the film "works because, at its core, the doc is a tribute to Ferrell and Steele’s evolving friendship" and that the pair's "level of honesty keeps the conversations grounded and helps the documentary avoid turning Steele into a prop for Ferrell’s education". [12] Lauren Wissot of IndieWire graded this work a B−, stating that the narrative is "admirable and understandable" but "trapped in a mushy middle state, forever prevented from rising to the level of either great drama or great comedy". [13]

In a capsule review out of Sundance, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com praised Greenbaum's direction and continued that the film shows "a pure, true companionship here that should serve as a reminder to call that person in your life who might need someone to talk to". [14] In Rolling Stone David Fear called Will & Harper "a funny, moving tribute to a friendship" and "a portrait of a friendship and how the fundamentals of a deep and lasting bond doesn’t change even when the people within it do" that is "flawed" but "priceless". [15] Writing for United Press International, Fred Topel ended his review calling this "a touching journey with two friends sharing laughs that can help start more conversations amongst people Steele and Ferrell will never meet". [16] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote that "It can sound like a cliché to say that any given movie is what the world needs now, but Will & Harper earns that distinction. Struggling to recognize her own beauty in a society that often seems determined to deny her identity altogether, Steele brings the trans experience down to earth. Meanwhile, by accepting his fledgling gal pal on her own terms—and asking how to make her more comfortable in her own skin—Ferrell sets the best kind of example. We should all be so lucky as to have friends like these." [17] Bilge Ebiri of Vulture ended his review: "The film’s familiarity may well be part of its design. It clearly wants to help change hearts and minds, and find purchase with audiences that would otherwise avoid a movie with a subject like this. Judging by the rapturous Sundance response, it has a decent shot.". [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Will & Harper". Sundance Film Festival. n.d. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  2. 1 2 Ryan, Patrick (January 23, 2024). "Will Ferrell's best friend came out as trans. He decided to make a movie about it". Movies. USA Today . Gannett. ISSN   0734-7456 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  3. 1 2 Sharf, Zack; Donnelly, Matt (January 21, 2024). "Will Ferrell Had 'Zero Knowledge' About the Trans Community. Then His Best Friend of 30 Years Came Out: 'This Was All New Territory for Me'". Film > News. Variety . ISSN   0042-2738. OCLC   810134503 . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Ebiri, Bilge (January 23, 2024). "In Will & Harper, Two Friends Talk". Sundance 2024. Vulture . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (February 1, 2024). "Netflix Buys Will Ferrell's Sundance Doc 'Will & Harper,' About Road Trip With Trans Best Friend". Film > Festivals. Variety . ISSN   0042-2738. OCLC   810134503 . Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Will & Harper". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Will & Harper". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  8. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (January 26, 2024). "At Sundance, a Transcendent Road Trip and Other Reasons to Love Movies". The New York Times . ISSN   1553-8095. OCLC   1645522 . Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  9. ↑ Gates, Taylor (January 24, 2024). "'Will & Harper' Review: Will Ferrell Shows Comedians How It's Done | Sundance 2024". Movie Reviews. Collider . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  10. ↑ Fallon, Kevin (January 24, 2024). "Will Ferrell's Road Trip Movie With His Trans Best Friend Will Save Lives". Reviews. The Daily Beast . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  11. ↑ Lee, Benjamin (January 23, 2024). "Will & Harper review – Will Ferrell's charming trans road trip documentary". Reviews. The Guardian . ISSN   1756-3224. OCLC   60623878 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (January 23, 2024). "'Will & Harper' Review: Will Ferrell and Harper Steele Charm Their Way Through an Endearing Road Trip Doc". Movies > Movie Reviews. The Hollywood Reporter . ISSN   0018-3660 . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  13. ↑ Wissot, Lauren (January 23, 2024). "'Will & Harper' Review: Will Ferrell Gets a Crash Course on Trans People During a Cross-Country Road Trip with One of His Oldest Friends". Film. IndieWire . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  14. ↑ Tellerico, Brian (January 23, 2024). "Sundance 2024: Will & Harper, Look into My Eyes, War Game". Festivals & Awards. RogerEbert.com . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  15. ↑ Fear, David (January 23, 2024). "'Will & Harper' Follows Will Ferrell and His Trans Best Friend Harper Steele Across a Divided America". TV & Movies > TV & Movies Reviews. Rolling Stone . ISSN   0035-791X . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  16. ↑ Topel, Fred (January 23, 2024). "Sundance movie review: Will Ferrell, Harper Steele doc opens trans conversations with laughs". Movies. United Press International . Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  17. ↑ Debruge, Peter (January 23, 2024). "'Will & Harper' Review: Will Ferrell Goes the Distance for an Old Friend After Learning That She's Trans". Film > Reviews. Variety . ISSN   0042-2738. OCLC   810134503 . Retrieved January 24, 2024.
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