Will & Harper

Friendship is one of those subjects that doesn’t receive nearly enough attention in the movies. Yet, when we look at the many different forms it can take, it certainly provides plenty of fodder for engaging storytelling, given that it’s a topic we can all ultimately relate to. Films that explore particularly fascinating examples of this are among the best, as is the case with the latest documentary release from director Josh Greenbaum, a road trip/“buddy” movie about the friendship between actor Will Ferrell and comedy writer Harper Steele. The longtime friends met years ago when they worked together on Saturday Night Live, but things were somewhat different at that time: Harper was Andrew back then, but he had been quietly harboring feelings about what it would be like to transition to become a woman. After years of hiding this consuming secret, in 2020, Andrew made the decision to step forward and become Harper, a revelation she candidly announced in a heartrending message to Ferrell and other familars. The announcement admittedly came as a surprise to Ferrell, but, given that Steele was his long-tenured compadre, he was naturally supportive. Simultaneously, though, he also wondered, how would a change like this impact the nature of their friendship? They were long accustomed to doing all kinds of “guy things” together, but could that continue with this fundamental shift in their circumstances? That’s what Ferrell wanted to find out, so the duo elected to embark on a 16-day cross-country journey from New York to Los Angeles, with a variety of stops in between. The trip provided an opportunity to see how they could relate to one another under the conditions of this new paradigm, as well as for Harper to see if she could still comfortably enjoy and safely participate in the same kinds of activities she engaged in when she still self-identified as a man. The result is an insightful and touching exploration of finding a new friend in an old companion, examining how things have evolved while at the same time being fundamentally unchanged. Along the way, Will and Harper meet up with family, friends, strangers, transgender activists and former colleagues, such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Kristin Wiig and Lorne Michaels. The picture also delves into the varying attitudes and levels of acceptance transgender individuals encounter in their new lives, some decidedly uplifting and others stressfully agonizing, and not always in line with expectations. “Will & Harper” is thus a heartfelt celebration of friendship with moments that are touching, emotional, funny, silly and revelatory, presenting a wide range of feelings all wrapped up in one affecting package – not unlike what happens in the relationships between all longtime pals. Just because some things change, that doesn’t mean that everything else necessarily has to follow suit, no matter how dramatic the shift may be. But isn’t that what solid friendships are supposed to be all about?

Will Ferrell met Andrew Steele whilst both worked on "Saturday Night Live". The latter becomes the chief writer on the popular satirical show that started Ferrell on his road to stardom, and the two men became close personal friends. Advance several years and the now 61 years old Steele has written to his friend informing him of his decision to transition into Harper. This fruition of a visceral need to become the woman he always knew he needed to be to be fulfilled and happy has not come without it's trepidations - not least a wariness as to how close friends and his two children are going to deal with this news. Ferrell is nervous as to how to proceed and suggests the best way to really get to grips with this new situation is to take a road trip to some of the places Steele had gone to as a man, and see how the pair deal with these locations now that he is a very deep voiced woman. What now ensues takes quite an interesting look at attitudes across the USA to a "dude" who is a woman and though he doesn't exactly face outright hostility (the omnipresent camera crew probably insulates them both from any more reactionary responses of the population) there are some raised eyebrows, sneers and maybe leaving a hidden mic in the room after they'd gone might have provided a more honest appraisal of just what the man/woman in the bar actually did think. Some of those opinions are provided by way of the blunt instrument that is social media as the yellow or, indeed, just stupid, took to their platform of pleasure to let loose their sarcastic and phobic rants that they'd never have had the courage to speak to the woman's face. Of course, the whole thing looks staged and the relationship between the two men can be a little cloying as this over-long documentary takes them on their travels away from the relative safety and tolerances (or indifferences) of the urban metropolises and more into the more traditional and religious communities where "freakiness" is a the word of the day. Ferrell is not one of my favourite actors, but he acquits himself genuinely here as the two ask a few potent questions of each other - and of us watching, and though there is a distinct lack of functioning humour throughout, it just about works.