Will Ferrell met his dear friend Harper Steele on the set of "Saturday Night Live" 30 years ago. Ferrell was a new cast member and Steele was a writer. Steele understood Ferrell’s comedic genius, even though he was sometimes referred to as a dud. Steele was responsible for some of Ferrell’s most famous skits on the show and they went on to collaborate on films. Steele became head writer for SNL and Ferrell has become a household name.
The two have had a penchant for collaborating on out-of-the-box projects and this film will certainly fall into that category.
At the core of this film is friendship; what it means to be a good friend. For me it ends there. But it’s also about the pain of secrets and lies. And the gut-wrenching experience of living a life as the person society wants you to be, not who you were born to be.
Harper Steele transitioned at the age of 60, after a lifetime of hiding who she was. And her dear friend Will has agreed to go on a road trip across the country to explore that transition, with one another and with the country. They end up in familiar places like Las Vegas and the not so familiar such as Amarillo, Texas. They are welcome with open arms in some seedy bars in Oklahoma and afraid for their lives in others.
The beauty of this film, and there’s so much beauty, despite all the pain, is that Ferrell allows his friend to be the star. Ferrell’s vulnerability around discovering his friend's deepest secrets and shame is so real and relatable, and Harper is so brave and poetry in motion.
I sobbed. I laughed. I left feeling hopeful. But mostly I just felt so happy that these two people have each other in this lifetime. I overheard someone in the audience say this film will save lives. I believe that’s true.
