Netflix Picks: Will & Harper (2024), Rez Ball (2024)
Two new Netflix movies came out this weekend - one good, one not. Both have good intentions.
Will Ferrell is trying to do something very admirable with Will & Harper - his best friend and writing-partner, Harper Steele, came out as trans during the pandemic and has been having a hard time adjusting. In a way to make her feel normal and to also open people’s eyes up to actual trans-issues, he uses his fame and fortune to shed some light on it. After all, a good portion of Will Ferrell’s core-audience are mostly filled with people who either don’t know a single trans person, nor do they even seem to care about them (and if they do care about them, it isn’t in a positive way). So by using his image and his charm, he’s trying to enlighten people, not just by doing this movie, but also by being in the movie as well.
Basically, that’s all Will & Harper is - they go cross-country, checking in to places that Harper used to always go into and hang out in, but now, because she doesn’t feel as confident, they find their ways. Most of the time, the results are unexpected; a total dive bar in the middle of Texas seems to get a little tense at first because Harper is unsure if people want her there or not, but as time goes on, there’s a certain fresh air of humanity that shows and it’s truly a beautiful scene. There’s another scene in a Texas steakhouse that also doesn’t go quite as planned and it also shows that humanity still has a long ways to go - either way, these are scenes that compel you to watch and view people for what they are and how they can possibly change their age-old conventions.
And of course, there’s a lot of scenes of Will and Harper driving around, stopping in strange places and drinking, and these scenes are also bittersweet and funny. They remind you how great it must be to not just have an uber-famous friend, but to also have one like Will Ferrell, who is still his usual silly-self here, but we also get to see the person behind the act here. And it’s all for Harper Steele, who is a super smart, super brave, and super honest person who deserves all the respect for going out there and being herself.
It’s great that in today’s day and age, we’re getting if not hundreds, but thousands of Native American stories that remind us of the sometimes unfortunate lives that they’re living today (Reservation Dogs, Dark Winds). Which also means that they deserve to have their own conventional, formulaic sports stories as well, and that’s exactly what Rez Ball is, through and through. It’s about a small Indian reservation, the people that live and die within it, and the high school basketball team that is doing everything they can to get by and win the big games. And that’s about it. No real surprises. No nothing. The cast is good, but does it really matter when the material they’re working with is so maudlin and obvious? Not really. Though try, they do.
Song of the Day: “Don’t Fear the Reaper” - Blue Öyster Cult
Come on. You know I had to.
-Dan O.