'Everything Must GO'

The intriguing if undercooked "Everything Must Go" stars Will Ferrell in an unexpectedly somber role, as an alcoholic named Nick whose wife leaves him and who loses his job. Out of desperation, he moves all of his possessions out onto his front lawn, where he decides to conduct an epic yard sale. Is he in the middle of a nervous breakdown? Or is this sale some sort of bid to clean the slate and start his life over?

"Everything Must Go" is inspired by one of Raymond Carver's spare, strange short stories, "Why Don't You Dance?" published in The Paris Review in 1981. The original story is just 1600 words, and first-time writer-director Dan Rush hasn't entirely figured out how to expand the minimalist material to a feature-length canvas.

Rush introduces an across-the-street neighbor named Samantha (Rebecca Hall), a beautiful, but lonely woman who has just moved into the neighborhood and is waiting for her husband to join her. Another supporting player, a boy named Kenny (nicely played by Christopher Jordan Wallace), ends up helping Nick sell his stuff. Yet neither of these characters feels especially believable. They're simply one-dimensional devices designed to move the plot forward.

Still, "Everything Must Go" has much to admire, including a moving and restrained lead performance from Ferrell. As he first revealed in the underappreciated "Stranger Than Fiction," he's very good at portraying men who feel as if they're still boys inside; men who wake up one day and can't believe what's become of their adult lives.

There's also one knockout passage, when Nick visits with an old high school friend, played by Laura Dern, who - as she so often does - sends a jolt of electricity through the proceedings. The scene is tense, funny and half-creepy, capturing the spirit of Carver's fiction in just a few effortless minutes. It leaves you eager to see what Dan Rush will do next.

EVERYTHING MUST GO

3 out of 5 stars

Director: Dan Rush

Cast: Will Ferrell, Laura Dern, Rebecca Hall

Rated: R (strong language, sexual content)

Running time: 100 min.