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‘Will & Harper’ Offers a Timely Prescription: More Kindness [1]

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Date: 2024-11-14

Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, retrospectives, recommendations, and more. You can join the mailing list at the bottom of this article to receive future editions in your inbox.

The Netflix documentary “Will & Harper,” as the title implies, is about a friendship between well-known Hollywood actor Will Ferrell and comedy writer Harper Steele. The two became close over many years working together on “Saturday Night Live” in New York City. On its most surface level, this affair would seem to have little to do with the rest of the country, between those coastal media hubs. But as Ferrell and Steele embark on a fateful cross-country road trip, the film unfurls an indelible story about connection and kindness, one that reaches its emotional heights as the two friends get farther away from the bright lights of the city.

Right from the jump, we learn about the origins of Ferrell and Steele’s relationship and how it’s recently entered a new chapter. Over those many years at SNL, Will’s friend was Andrew Steele. The story kicks into gear with a message Ferrell receives from Steele, explaining her transition to become Harper. We hear about how Steele loved taking cross-country road trips, reveling in the most obscure, off-the-beaten path destinations. As she grapples with whether she can still enjoy that pursuit after her transition, Ferrell makes a bold proposal: let’s make the journey together and document it.

An official trailer for ‘Will & Harper’ (2024) (via Netflix on YouTube).

Departures

Whether your mind goes to iconic SNL characters like Alex Trebek and Gene Frenkle or major movie roles from Ricky Bobby to Buddy the Elf, there’s no denying that Will Ferrell is one of the most recognizable actors of his generation. He has an “everyman” appeal, an exceedingly affable persona that few would lament popping up on their screens – or in their neighborhoods.

This is the public identity that Ferrell is able to lean into while embarking on the journey with his friend Harper. As Steele determines whether she will feel comfortable and safe in once familiar places, Ferrell’s presence can break the ice, serve as a distraction, or provide a safe harbor, helping her do something that’s going to take a lot of courage. Likewise, in a world with fervent factions seeking to politicize literally everything – from Star Wars to children’s books – it’s no small thing for Ferrell to step up for his friend in this way, putting his inoffensive everyman brand at risk.

The film does briefly highlight and comment upon some of the blowback he receives on social media and elsewhere for taking a public stand on behalf of his trans friend, but Ferrell ultimately shows himself to be more burdened by the times he stumbles in not doing more to support Steele along the way.

To bring viewers along, the film does deploy some comedic bits that would fit snugly into any number of Ferrell’s blockbuster comedies, and there are cameos aplenty from other SNL icons. But these elements are merely set dressing. The heart of the film is the friendship at its center and the emotional journey that parallels the physical one.

Destinations

As Will and Harper get closer and closer to the middle of the country, the journey begins to feel more perilous, but this is also where the film finds some of its most profound moments. At a dark and dusty dive bar in Meeker, Oklahoma, Harper ventures in alone, shedding the Will Ferrell security blanket. The camera catches all the easy signifiers, like a confederate flag and a “F#$& Joe Biden” sign, to underscore the anxieties of the moment. But the experience that follows is much more complex, full of fragile and awkward interactions to be sure but also featuring big-hearted, life-affirming ones.

A night out in Amarillo, Texas offers the inverse, an unvarnished low point and a lightning rod for hostility. However, as the pair traverses the map, from stock car races in Oklahoma, to a karaoke night in Illinois, and sidewalk conversations in Iowa, they find for the most part kindness, connection, or nonchalance at the worst. This is not to take away from the gravity of the experience; a visit to the Mojave desert represents another profound moment, but this one rooted in deep, unflinching introspection rather than social and cultural anxieties.

Will Ferrell and Harper Steele in ‘Will & Harper’ (2024) (Credit: Netflix via IMDb).

I’ve heard it said that some of the most meaningful conversations we have happen while seated across from one another in a car, and “Will & Harper” is further testament to that notion. From a visual perspective, the film captures that well, taking us along for the ride to admire the scenery and feel a part of conversations that elicit laughs and contemplation. Stopovers that involve popping up a folding chair to sit, chat, and enjoy libations – whether in a Wal-Mart parking lot, upon a vista above the Grand Canyon, or in a remote field on the side of the road – offer similar delights. They’re visually arresting, disarming in that Will Ferrell fashion, but not without deeper resonance.

This is a timely journey into the heart of America, and it’s one I hope everyone will consider taking. For LGBTQ+ individuals who have shared struggles like Steele’s, it’s an important film that lifts up their voices and experiences. But for anyone who is worried that hate is winning at this chapter in our history, it’s a universal reminder of what it looks like when decency, kindness, and real friendship win.

Will & Harper is streaming on Netflix.

This article first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, an email newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture. Every other Thursday, it features reviews, recommendations, retrospectives, and more. Join the mailing list today to have future editions delivered straight to your inbox.

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