Will and Harper (2924) NetFlix

Comedy writer Harper Steele and comedian Will Ferrell have been friends ever since they began working together on Saturday Night Live nearly 30 years ago. During the pandemic, Steele took Ferrell by surprise when she sent him an email telling him that she was transitioning. TRAILER

For viewers coming to this who believe they have never encountered any trans people, Will & Harper offers the chance to get to know Harper the individual as she tells Will that he can ask her anything he wants to know. Initially, he’s cautious about what he asks and how he phrases it. “There’s no ground rules between friends”, she reassures him, quickly allaying his fear that he might say the wrong thing. Is she a worse driver as a woman? Ferrell cheekily enquires at one point. It’s an exchange that sums up the closeness of their friendship, and the irreverent tone of the film that is filled with laugh-out-loud moments. And yes, trans people can take a joke—if it’s funny—and tell them too.

At its heart, this is a deeply moving tribute to friendship and to living our truths that just goes to show that if you are fortunate enough to have a true friend and laughter in your life you can’t go too far wrong. I savoured every beautiful moment of it. As we share Will and Harper’s life-affirming, joy-filled ride to look for America, my hope is for every LGBTQ+ person to have a friend like Will in their lives, a great model of how to be a demonstrable ally just by being there, being open, and really listening.