Where there’s a Will and a Harper, there’s a funny and affectionate transgender road trip doc.

“Will & Harper” is the made-for-Netflix doc about a road trip between Will Ferrell and his old SNL writer and long time buddy Andrew Steele, who comes out as a transgender and is now known as Harper. Named after Harper Lee, the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The movie opens with Will telling the audience how he finally reunites with Harper after the 2020 pandemic, and how he was surprised to know about her transitioning. He still supports her, but still has questions about the meaning of Harper’s new life.

Here’s how this funny and sweet doc helps answer his questions.

They took a cross country road trip back when they were the same sex, but now that Harper is a woman, they want to see how different things would be. But also, it’s to allow these two to acknowledge the meaning of transgender and the qualities and difficulties that emerge within. So what does Middle America and the Southwest have in store for them, given the circumstances? New York City, Washington, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, and the list goes on.

“Will & Harper” was directed by Josh Greenbaum, who just guided Ferrell in the wasted dog comedy “Strays.” Their latest collaboration has more laughs and consideration than that film, but they don’t oversell the movie (and there’s a scene at a Texas restaurant where Ferrell dresses up like Sherlock Holmes and a person shouts “Ricky Bobby,” but he corrects her). They allow Harper to have a voice and talk about what it’s like for her to identify with herself as a transgender. Why did it take so long for her to come out, what will society think of her, and how will she learn to overcome the drama in her life? Let the journey answer those questions.

Certain parts of the trip go on a bit, but there’s a lot of exuberance and consistency within the journey. Will and Harper reunite with former SNL members like Kristen Wiig (whom they ask to write and sing a song about their trek), Tim Meadows, and Will Forte; they have the chairs to sit on as they enjoy such beautiful landscapes (a Walmart parking lot is not one of them, LOL!); and when they go to a Texas restaurant, they both get blasted on Twitter for Will’s political views (at least that’s what I’m going to assume) and for Harper’s new gender. There are times when you laugh at the comedy within, and there are times when you feel affection for how Harper views things or how she worries what people would now think of her. I can’t speak for her, but I can, at least, sympathize with her.

The movie reminded me a bit of “The Trip” movies where Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon went to different restaurants in different countries, while adding a personal truth in their careers. But “Will & Harper” takes a different approach to celebrities on vacation. They have timely subject matters to discuss, and they have a friendship that can overpower any cynicism in their lives.

We all still have our comments about Will Ferrell’s attitude in public (and the only reason he met me is because Mark Wahlberg was going to and he wanted to keep an image) or some of his bad movies (and “Barbie” is his best one in years), but “Will & Harper” isn’t just about him; it’s about his friendship with Harper and the voice she has. And I’ve been using the right pronouns throughout this review out of respect.

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