Winter Passing

Written and directed by Adam Rapp, this 2006 drama is touching, but somewhat uneven. Zooey Deschanel stars as Reese Holden, a struggling New York City actress searching for love and attention, but numb to real emotion. Her father Don, (played by a nearly unrecognizable Ed Harris) is a

well-known, but reclusive novelist and professor. He hasn't published anything in years, but still has fans stopping by daily, just hoping for a glimpse of the Salinger-esque character. (Is it a coincidence that the family name is Holden? As in Caulfield? Probably not.) Her mother, also a writer, has recently committed suicide. After receiving an offer of $100,000 to sell the publishing rights to her parents' very private love letters, Reese heads back to the UP of Michigan after nearly seven years. She is looking for the box of letters, but what she finds there is a strange new surrogate family. Will Ferrell is Corbit, a sincere, but off-center former Christian rock band guitarist. He was kicked out of the band for beating up the drummer. Don Holden found him asleep on the couch one morning, and inexplicably just let him stay. A former student, Shelly (Amelia Warner), has also been taken in after some serious health issues. It's a motley crew, to be sure, but interesting to watch as they manage to care about each other with an awkward earnestness.

It's good.

(But I kept visualizing Will and Zooey dressed as elves....)