Did you ever hear the one in regards to the “Saturday Night time Reside” author who got here out as transgender to his pal Will Ferrell, they usually took a highway journey throughout america to see how the nation reacts to transgender individuals? You haven’t? You must, as a result of it’s fairly humorous. And ultimately, it’s no joke. It takes the type of a documentary known as “Will and Harper.” It’s on Netflix.

Although I think the parents behind it might dislike this time period, the film is fairly unabashedly a instructing device aimed toward a rustic the place perhaps a 3rd of the citizens not solely has deep animosity in the direction of transgender individuals however is being fed hate rhetoric about them each day. It’s affecting in its low-key method, due to the chemistry of its title personalities. And it really works because the type of buddy comedy Ferrell may’ve starred in at one time (and would in all probability have needed to apologize for later). In spite of everything, buddy comedies with former “Saturday Night time Reside” forged members aren’t recognized for his or her refined grasp of nuance.

Harper is Harper Steele, previously Andrew Steele. She was at “Saturday Night time Reside” earlier than Ferrell bought there and championed him as a gifted comic despite the fact that no one there thought plenty of him when he was beginning out, which grew to become the idea for a ravishing friendship. In the course of the pandemic, Ferrell obtained an e mail from Steele that learn merely, “I’m previous now, and as ridiculous and pointless as it might appear to report, I’ll be transitioning to reside as a girl.” Ferrell was surprised as a result of, as he places it, “Andrew was an Iowa-born, 501 denims, shitty beer, hitchhiking sort of man, principally a lovable curmudgeon with a super-weird, inventive humorousness”—which, because the film exhibits us (in a method that corrects Ferrell’s perceptions with out being strident about it) is a misperception in regards to the kinds of people that transition.

To its credit score, director Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”) finally weights the scales of curiosity extra in the direction of Harper Steele than Will Ferrell. This isn’t a lot a film a few straight and cisgender-identifying individual studying learn how to settle for his previous pal in a brand new bundle. It turns Ferrell into an viewers surrogate who has traveled the highway of understanding and acceptance a very long time in the past and is reenacting it for the cameras, in a method. Ferrell says that after receiving the e-mail, he questioned, ““How lengthy did she really feel this fashion? What made her hold this in for thus lengthy?” and says that within the quick aftermath of the information, their friendship was in “uncharted waters,” however that looks like an exaggeration for storytelling’s sake. It’s fairly clear from the best way these two work together on digicam, in addition to another particulars, that there was by no means even a slight probability that Ferrell would reject Steele and even have plenty of points to beat.

Steele’s issues are extra urgent. In truth, they’re fairly actually life-or-death. Steele is from Iowa and says she “loves america, however I simply don’t know if it loves me again proper now.” She presents herself to the world in another way than earlier than however nonetheless loves the identical stuff, together with, in her phrases, “shi–y bars” and “truck stops” and the components of the nation the place a physique may disappear and no one would ever discover out.

This concern turns into instantly clear as the 2 focus on taking a highway journey. The principle concern is security. Not a lot the security of those two inside the context of a real-life highway film: they’re touring with a digicam crew, considered one of them is Will Ferrell, and presumably, the manufacturing bought clearance and put indicators up saying, principally, “We’re making a film, you give your permission to be in it whenever you go inside this institution,” whether or not the institution is the world the place the Indiana Pacers play or one of many aforementioned dive bars. Steele will get misgendered, and there’s an unlucky encounter on the recreation with the governor of Indiana, who acts pleasant however seems to be an enormous anti-trans one who signed a invoice denying youngsters gender-affirming care.

No, the priority is extra about what’s already taking place throughout america and world wide when the individuals concerned aren’t well-known and don’t have a number of cameras on them always, accumulating materials for a Netflix documentary. “Strolling previous all these bros in a bro-ey atmosphere has been the toughest a part of my transition,” Steele admits. All of it seems fairly properly ultimately, although. And, after all, that’s the purpose of the train: to indicate that none of that is as huge a deal as bigots make it out to be and that if Will Ferrell might be one hundred pc supportive of his pal Harper, there’s no motive why the identical situation can’t repeat itself all over the place.