Will Ferrell is one of the most popular comedians in the United States. It is thanks to successes like Zoolander either Brothers for ballscomedies that blew up the box office and made him a crossover star, the kind that appeals to both the left and the right. To the old and the young. But before that, it was forged in one of the best and oldest programs on American television, the Saturday evening live.
The show, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025 and release a film about its beginnings, is broadcast live every Saturday and in which a cast of comedians discuss current events with a famous guest. This is where the characters who would later star in the current comedy blockbusters were formed: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Jason Sudeikis and Adam Sandler, in addition to classics like Dan Aykroid.
The stars of SNL somehow represent America’s comedic heritage, and that’s why it’s so important that someone like Will Ferrell is promoting a documentary like Will and Harper, which has just been released on Netflix and which many place among the favorites of the Oscar season. A car trip for her country with her friend Harper Steele, who was that show’s writer, party and beer partner, and accomplice in many of her craziest projects (she wrote Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga). Harper, when he wrote the scripts of those who would later succeed on screen, was named Andrew, and during the pandemic he made the decision to transition and change gender.
He informed those close to him of his decision by email. A letter that took a long time to write but arrived late, after years of suffering from not being able to be who he really was. This email reached Will Ferrell, who of course supported his friend, but also realized that she was the only trans person he actually knew. That’s why he came up with a plan, where the two of them would take one of these trips through different cities and states in order to catch up and ask each other any questions they might have about it.
This is the starting point of Will and Harper, a beautiful idea which becomes a documentary full of empathy and affection, that which Ferrell feels for his friend. The great achievement is not to focus this story on Ferrell’s queerness, but almost as a manual for anyone who still sees a trans woman with strange eyes. It places the two protagonists on the same level, and while introducing Ferrell with his many questions, we also see Harper wondering if his friend knows more trans people, or what he was thinking when he told him.
Will and Harper This is a film that ends up being educational and helpful for those who speak out of ignorance. Not only will they listen to a trans woman tell her experience in the first person (including all the insults and suffering), but, above all, they will see her friend being with her the same as before and breaking any type of prejudice. . The main success comes when the film also becomes a love letter to its country. That car trip ―which includes a first stop to visit some of the show’s best-known cast members where they met― is a declaration of love for what they used to do (play sports, tour seedy slums, and drink up ‘to be drunk). Harper stopped doing it for fear of being stared at and criticized, but next to a Hollywood star, it’s easier for her.
It is not a “white” documentary, and in fact it is being released in the middle of the election campaign, which, as its director, Josh Greenbaum, admitted, is not a coincidence. In fact, one of the most tense moments is when they go to an Indiana Pacers NBA game. Emotion is shown first. Harper says one takeaway: “I’ve never seen Leonardo DiCaprio or Jack Nicholson in the front row watching a game with their trans friend. » A sign that something is changing, also that there is an old masculinity which continues to perpetuate certain behaviors. The tense moment comes when they meet the governor of Indiana, who is not particularly friendly. They Google and find the atrocities he has said and intends to commit against the LGBT community, but especially against the trans community. Starts a battery of images of everything the Republicans can do if they come to power.
The room for criticism especially comes when they both enter Texas and decide to have a steak and beer tasting competition. People watch them, Will Ferrell himself says it’s one of the moments he got the most attention. They take photos, and within minutes social media is filled with hateful and transphobic comments. Ferrell collapses the next day, feeling guilty about what happened. Thus, the documentary also becomes a cry of warning. One that shows how hatred has spread against the trans community because of the atrocities committed by conservatives, who have never met a trans person, but are trying to demonize them and restrict their rights.
Maybe they should all watch this documentary that shows how even a professionally successful person who has the support of those close to him even thought about committing suicide because of hate attacks. Perhaps seeing the love and care that Will Ferrell devotes to his friend, the attention with which he listens to her, will change mentalities more than many electoral programs would.
