Will & Harper is a personal Netflix documentary that follows professional funny actor Will Ferrell and professional funny writer Harper Steele as they drive cross country. Harper recently transitioned to a woman so we watch two old friends meet again after a huge change. She’d made this drive many times before as a man but is uncertain how it’ll go as a woman… so Ferrell is there for moral support / professional defense.

I didn’t have a lot of interest in this doc since I’m not much of a Will Ferrell fan and know nothing about Harper as-is or as her former self (presumably – and hopefully – she wrote some of Ferrell’s better skits on SNL). But some friends gave it a watch so I figured I might as well too.

As far as the trans premise, I don’t need to be convince to treat a person as an individua human being with feelings. Live your life so you don’t go to bed having worsened the life of someone else is my take.

Ferrell is mostly amusing and his interactions with his old friend are interesting as we see him work out how to be funny with her. And realize what pain she must have been in over the thirty years of their friendship. Watching her struggle to communicate what she feels and what she went through her whole life is moving.

We also get some sit downs (and balloon rides) with their old friends from SNL and that’s kind of fun.

My biggest problem is something they touch on in the film… this isn’t really a true examination of what the average trans person goes through. They don’t have a famous funny guy running defense for them… much less a camera following them around wherever they go. They wind up in various places and are treated quite well… but most people mind their Ps & Qs in front of a camera. But we do see some of the social media aftermath and its predictably ugly. Anonymity is a hell of a thing.

Also awkward: they go to a restaurant in Texas and Ferrell dresses as Sherlock Holmes from the worst movie he ever made (and that’s saying something). Couldn’t even be Ricky Bobbie or Ron Burgundy? Oh, the humanity!

This doc is fine and reasonably moving. I got something out of their old friendship and out of her transition stories. But I’m not a stakeholder in their friendship so there’s only so much it hit me. But if someone who doesn’t get it watches it and learns something, that’s a bonus.

Score: 76