Review: Will & Harper (2024)

Now streaming on Netflix is the documentary film, Will & Harper. Directed by Josh Greenbaum, the docu-film details the friendship between actor Will Ferrell and former Saturday Night Live writer, Harper Steele.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harper began transitioning from male to female, then got in touch with Will to explain this change in circumstances. This film discusses if this transition has impacted their friendship at all (spoiler, it hasn’t), while detailing Harper’s journey of self discovery.

Framed around a 16-day road trip, Will and Harper embark on a jaunt around the United States, taking in the sights, waxing lyrical, and generally spending time together. The key aim of their trip is to hang out, reminisce, and pick up from where they last left off.

Along the way the pair discuss Harper’s transition, with Will asking questions and Harper providing answers and insights. Will’s questions come from a place of curiosity and love and at no point does any of this descend into a probing interview – this is simply two friends catching up and sharing their story.

With LGBTQ+ rights being a political hot topic at present, particularly in the US, a significant aspect of the road trip is whether it is still safe for Harper to go to the places she used to go to as a man (a ball game, a bar, a race track, etc). These places tend to be seen as predominantly masculine arenas, and with this comes certain connotations which might make them less than welcoming spaces for a trans person.

For the most part, however, there isn’t as much hostility as Harper assumes, which is a positive thing, but, not everyone is so accepting. When the two friends stop off at a restaurant in Texas, to consume a rather large steak, it becomes clear there is still some way to go before everyone is on the same page.

The documentary highlights this unfortunate situation, but doesn’t dwell in this area too long. This isn’t a film about the people who have issues with the trans community, this is a film about Will and Harper’s journey and the good times they share.

At the heart of Will & Harper is a deep and meaningful story about the love, respect, and trust between two people. Will and Harper were friends before the transition, they are friends throughout the transition, and they will continue to be friends forever more.

This story – their story – is a delightful look at how life can change in many unexpected ways, but true friends just roll with it. It’s the sort of film you hope the people who would benefit from seeing it are the one’s who ultimately give it a go.

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Reviewer/Netflix watcher

Alex Wiggan

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