Before Will & Harper’s Netflix premiere, I was able to catch a screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Both the film’s stars Will Ferrel and Harper Steele were in attendance, and the feeling inside the theater was a mix of curiosity and anticipation.
Will & Harper is a documentary that starts with Will Ferrel reading an email from his friend and longtime SNL writer Andrew Steele, letting him know that she’s decided to finally transition as a transwoman and will now be addressed as Harper Steele. That email was from 2020. Now, four years later, the two meet for the first time since Harper’s transition and go on a road trip across the country to reconnect.
Will & Harper is an incredibly enjoyable and joyful road trip
From the start, Will & Harper is phenomenal because it’s one of those documentaries that doesn’t feel like a documentary. It doesn’t have cutaway confessionals or that removed-from-the-events feel that most documentaries have, where you’re looking back at something rather than experiencing it firsthand. Instead, Will & Harper takes viewers on a journey – and since it stars two longtime comedians, it’s an endlessly enjoyable and hilarious one. At its core, Will & Harper is a road trip movie that feels more like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles than it does a documentary.
But, obviously, there’s the elephant in the room: it involves a trans person. So there’s a good chunk of people out there who are going to hate this movie (and probably never watch it) for no other reason than their hatred of trans people. Personally, I think it’s sad that we live in a country where more than 200 people are shot every single day, yet a trans person is what causes a national controversy.
But Will & Harper knows this. The movie doesn’t dance around transphobia, and instead tackles it head-on. While driving, Harper and Will talk about discrimination and the lack of knowledge society has about trans people. But what really makes the movie so great is that it doesn’t come off as preachy or like some after-school special on PBS. Instead, it’s just a conversation between two (very funny) friends. Harper is also strong and confident. You don’t view her as a victim or as a fragile person who can’t hold her own, which makes her undeniably likable.
Will & Harper is a learning experience for viewers, but also just a damn funny movie
I think we normally only see trans people through the lens of oppression. We only hear trans voices when they’re admonishing transphobia or calling out anti-trans legislation and bigotry. We rarely get to see a trans person just being a person; making jokes, eating Pringles, laughing, and talking about their day. Will & Harper’s most powerful moments are when the two are just being normal friends giving each other crap, one-upping each other’s jokes, and having an adventure together.
Will & Harper is a buddy movie, a road trip movie, and a timely story about a hot-button issue that is for some reason at the forefront of America’s politics and cultural consciousness. It’s funny, it’s heartwarming, and honestly, you end up learning a lot about what it’s like to be trans in America right now.
Also, be sure to stay for the credits to hear Kristin Wiig’s hilarious original song for the movie.
9/10