Will Ferrell – STREAMING MOVIE NIGHT

2025 Amazon MGM Studios

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 49min

Comedy

Starring: Will Ferrell, Reese Witherspoon, Geraldine Viswanathan, Stony Blyden and Meredith Hagner.

“And we can rely on each other, ah ha. From one lover to another, ah ha.”

When I saw the trailer I knew it was a comedy, even though it centers around two weddings. I saw where some have referred to it as a Rom-Com……that it is not. I like will Ferrell and you have to love Reese Witherspoon, so I was excited to see a brand new streaming movie that featured the two of them together. Will Ferrell is playing Jim, a widowed father raising his young adult daughter Jenni (Geraldine Viswanathan) by himself. Jenni comes home from college and tells him that she is getting married to her boyfriend Oliver (Stony Blyden), who just happened to come home with her.

Jim is less than thrilled and after coming to terms with the fact his daughter wants to get married, calls the resort where he and his wife had gotten married. The elderly lady that owns the resort still remembers Jim and she assures him that she will hold his reservation without a card (as he is considered family), and unbeknownst to Jim, as he hangs up, she drops dead of a heart attack. The pen she was using ran out of ink and she collapsed before she could get another one. But Jim, Jenni, Oliver and Jenni’s girlfriends make plans for the wedding at the resort the following year not knowing there is no reservation written down for them.

Margo (Reese Witherspoon) has just been informed by her baby sister Neve (Meredith Hagner) that she is pregnant and she is getting married to her boyfriend Dixon (Jimmy Tatro). Margo insists that she wants to pay for the wedding and calls the resort on the island where her Grandma used to live. Margo uses her credit card and makes a reservation for the same weekend as Jim, whose name is not on the books. Margo and Neve make plans for the whole family to join them at the resort for the wedding.

And that’s where the real comedy starts as Margo and Jim both show up on the island at the same time with their entourages, wondering who the other people are that are there. There is only room enough on the resort for one wedding at a time and two wedding parties have shown up! It was pretty funny. I mean it is exactly what you think it’s going to be. Funny, goofy, a little dumb, with lots of fighting and escapades between Jim and Margo as they try to assert their wedding over the other. The chemistry between Will and Reese was ok in a comedic way. But there was no romance between the two, they just don’t go together in that way.

There was a ton of music in the film, with a surprise karaoke version of Islands In The Stream. Stay tuned in at the end as the credits roll because there is more to be seen! Peyton Manning, Nick Jonas and Bobby Moynihan from Saturday Night Live all have a cameo in the movie. SO what did I think?

It was good. It was worth a watch. Definitely some laughs in there and I LOVE the alligator! Yes….I Loved the alligator. I don’t want to spoil it for you so I’ll just say this….It’s good goofy fun and worth watching, at least watch it for the alligator! I liked Will and Reese too, they seemed like they had a lot of fun with this one. Give it a go!

2024 Netflix

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 54min

Documentary

Directed by: Josh Greenbaum

Starring: Will Ferrell and Harper Steele.

“A friend is a friend is a friend…..till the end.”

We all know who Will Ferrell is, even spell check knows, it just informed me I left an L off of his last name. He is one of the most famous faces in Entertainment. He got an email from his old friend Andrew Steele informing Will that he was transitioning to a woman, now known as Harper Steele. Will and Andrew were hired at Saturday Night Live at the same time 27 years ago. Andrew became one of the head writers and Will Ferrell became famous. They became close friends and when Will got the email from “Harper”, Will decided that they should take a road trip together and figure out what that meant for their friendship.

Will decided to film it and make a documentary out of their trip. They hit the road accompanied by a film crew starting in New York where Harper picks up Will at the airport in her vintage Jeep Cherokee. They head out for a 16 day road trip across the country to California. Along the way they visit the NBC Studios, travel Route 66, go to a basketball game, car races, Washington, D.C., The Grand Canyon, numerous Mid West bars and diners, sing Karaoke at a Karaoke bar, drink cheap beer and eat a lot of Pringles. Along the way they meet up with a lot of their old SNL Alumni, Tina Fey, Will Forte, Colin Jost, Tim Meadows, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Paula Pell, Molly Shannon and Kristen Wiig.

They call Kristin and ask her to write a theme song for the film. It is played at the end of the documentary. It is a great song and really sums up the whole Documentary.

Harper and Will go west
Just a couple old friends and a couple brand new breasts
They’re off to see America
Not sure what they’ll find
Open to the open road
Only to be reminded
That a friend is a friend is a friend
Till the end

Coast to coast
Takes three thousand miles to get this close
Did Lewis and Clark dare to go to these emotional places?
This is a greater unknown so I think my two are the greatest

Harper and Will go west
Like Thelma and Louise but with a lot less death
They’re off to see America
Just one girl and a guy
Open to the open road
Only to be reminded
That a friend is a friend is a friend
Till the end

They’ll find their way
Even when they don’t know what to say
Known each other for forever and a day
They’ll have to find themselves
A magical woman right with her grown-up elf
And oooh, this is the jazzy part
I assume there’s no room in the car
Or I’d have been invited
But I’ll play my part
This once from the heart

Like Will when he got the email from Harper explaining he was now a Transwoman, I had questions, about the movie and whether I should watch it, and should I review it. Up until now I have only reviewed full length feature films from major studios and this is a full length Documentary. I added a new category for this: Documentary. I decided I should watch it, and after watching it I decided I should review it. I think it is important to watch. I thought that it would answer a lot of the questions that I had mainly about the Trans experience/movement/thing.

What, where, how, and why? It is outside of my experience and like Will I wondered, what does all that mean. As a friend, what does that mean for a friendship? Are you a friend or do you draw the line at an experience your friend is having and say no way, Jose. I have to say that after watching it I have more questions than answers, but this film is more about a friendship than a Transwoman and their journey or struggle. It does touch on the experience Harper is going through and the personal struggle that led to this documentary, but watching the two old friends explore, discuss and navigate the new territory together was heartwarming. That’s a friend.

That’s a friend is a friend is a friend till the end. No matter what. Ok, so there’s some really life changing things going on in your life….well old friend, let’s figure it out together.

WE ALL NEED FRIENDS LIKE WILL FERREL.

If you don’t have one….go get one.

Watching Will be there for his friend was very touching and heartwarming.

The Trans issue is a very touchy one for a lot of people.

Don’t let that stop you from watching the movie. I think you should.

And Kristin Wiig should win an Oscar and a Grammy for Harper And Will Go West.

That’s it, that’s all I’ve got.

Yes, I recommend it.

Two thumbs up.