The Story of Will & Harper
Will & Harper follows two lifelong friends—actor Will Ferrell and writer Harper Steele—as they embark on a 17-day road trip across the United States. The setup is deceptively simple: Steele, who spent decades as a writer and producer on Saturday Night Live, recently came out as a trans woman and wanted to reconnect with Ferrell while introducing herself to the country as her true self. What unfolds isn't a heavy-handed after-school special about acceptance. It's messier, funnier, and more human than that. The documentary captures the genuine awkwardness, the laughter, the silences, and the moments where two people who've known each other for decades realize they're getting to know each other all over again. No spoilers here—just know that the journey becomes as much about Ferrell's own reckoning with change as it is about Steele's transformation.
Behind the Making of Will & Harper
Director Josh Greenbaum helmed this 114-minute documentary with a lean, observational style that feels more like a road-movie narrative than a typical talking-heads doc. The film was produced by Jessica Elbaum, Ferrell himself, Greenbaum, Christopher Leggett, and Rafael Marmor—a lineup that suggests both professional polish and genuine creative investment from the principals involved. Released in 2024, Will & Harper arrived with serious critical momentum: it earned a 99% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 74 Metascore, landing squarely in the "critics and audiences agree" zone that's rare for documentaries. The film carries an R rating, mostly for language and some frank discussions about intimacy and identity. Beyond festival acclaim, Will & Harper picked up 9 wins and 42 nominations across various ceremonies, including a BAFTA nomination—the kind of recognition that signals the film's resonance with industry gatekeepers and genuine audiences alike. The runtime clocks in at just under two hours, which sounds generous until you realize how naturally the time disappears.
What Makes Will & Harper Stand Out
Here's what's striking about Will & Harper: it refuses to make Harper's transition the villain of the story. You won't find a single scene where the documentary treats her coming-out as a problem to be solved or a tragedy to be overcome—and that absence is itself radical. Instead, Greenbaum trains his camera on the texture of their relationship, the tiny moments where old habits collide with new realities, and the way genuine affection can survive seismic shifts in identity. Ferrell, stripped of his comedic armor, is genuinely present in ways his filmography doesn't always allow. He's not playing a character who learns a lesson. He's a man working through real confusion, real fear, and real love—sometimes all at once. The performances (if you can call documentary subjects "performing") anchor everything because they're not performances at all. What's remarkable is how the film manages to be both deeply personal and universally relatable. You don't need to be trans, or close to someone who is, to recognize the fundamental human anxiety about whether your relationships can survive who you become. Movie OTT tracks where this film streams, and honestly, it's the kind of documentary that benefits from being watched somewhere comfortable—somewhere you can sit with the feelings it stirs up.
Where to Stream Will & Harper Online
Will & Harper is currently available on major OTT streaming services. If you're hunting for where to watch it, check the "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page—it'll show you every platform currently carrying the film in your region, along with whether it's available to stream free with ads, with a subscription, or for purchase. Streaming availability shifts regularly, so that widget stays updated in real time. Movie OTT's aggregation tools make it simple to see all your options without clicking through five different apps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who directed Will & Harper?
Josh Greenbaum directed the film. He brings a conversational, intimate documentary style that lets the relationship between Ferrell and Steele breathe without heavy-handed narration or manipulation.
Q: Is Will & Harper based on a true story?
Yes—it's a documentary, so everything you're watching actually happened. Will Ferrell and Harper Steele really did take this road trip together, and the film captures real conversations and moments from their journey across America.
Q: How long is Will & Harper?
The documentary runs 114 minutes, or just under two hours. It's paced like a narrative film rather than a typical doc, so the runtime feels natural rather than padded.
Q: What's the critical reception of Will & Harper?
The film's been widely praised: it holds a 99% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a 74 Metascore, and a 7.4 rating on IMDb from over 10,000 votes. It earned 9 wins and 42 nominations across various awards ceremonies, including a BAFTA nomination.
Q: What's the rating on Will & Harper?
The film is rated R, primarily for language and some frank conversations about sexuality and identity. There's nothing gratuitous—the rating reflects honest, adult dialogue rather than shock value.
Final Thoughts on Will & Harper
What stays with you after Will & Harper ends isn't a neat moral or a triumphant final scene—it's the feeling of having witnessed something genuine. This is a film about friendship surviving transformation, about two people choosing each other even when the rules of their relationship have shifted. It's funny without punching down, tender without being sentimental, and honest in a way that documentary filmmaking sometimes forgets to be. Whether you come to it as a fan of Will Ferrell, as someone curious about trans narratives, or simply as someone who values good storytelling, Will & Harper delivers on all fronts. Don't sleep on it.
