Since the end of his legendary tenure as a cast member onSaturday Night Live, Will Ferrell has brought his unique brand of absurdist humor to the big screen and become a beloved A-list movie star. The beauty of Ferrell’s talent is that he can play all the comedic types: a deadpan “straight man” foil, like Detective Allen Gamble inThe Other Guys; the kind of eccentric comic persona that the straight man reacts to, like Chazz Reinhold inWedding Crashers; and a combination of the two, like Ricky Bobby inTalladega Nights. FromOld SchooltoAnchormantoStep Brothers, Ferrell has starred in some of the funniest movies ever made.
Old School Is A Unique Spin On A Frat Movie
Ever sinceAnimal Housebecame a box office hit, raucous college campus comedies have been commonplace in American cinema. They usually come off as cheap knock-offs that pale in comparison to the 1978 classic, butTodd Phillips found a unique spinon the subgenre with his 2003 hitOld School. Luke Wilson stars as a heartbroken thirtysomething who avoids being kicked out of his new residence by turning it into a frat house.Old Schoolhas all the NSFW antics of anAnimal Houserip-off, but instead of teenagers who don’t know any better, the protagonists are depressed middle-aged men who do know better and just want to get themselves out of a rut.
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Wilson is the star ofOld School, but Ferrell steals the show as Frank “The Tank” Ricard, a newlywed struggling to settle into married life who unleashes his inner party animal when his friend starts a fraternity. Frank takes center stage in all the movie’s most hilarious moments, whether he’s drunkenly streaking through town or taking a tranquilizer dart to the neck.
Step Brothers Is An Absurdist Gem
AfterAnchormanandTalladega Nightswere both met with widespread acclaim, Ferrell andhis co-writer Adam McKayreceived their first mixed reviews forStep Brothers. But the duo’s third collaboration has since been reappraised as an underappreciated cult classic. Its humor might have been too broad for the critics’ tastes, but it has a huge fan following.
Ferrell reunited withhisTalladega Nightsco-star John C. Reillyfor the ludicrous tale of two 40-year-old men who still live at home having to learn to get along when their single parents get married. From the homemade bunk bed disaster to the “Boats ‘N’ Hoes” music video to the tuxedo-clad job interview montage to the a cappella rendition of “Sweet Child o’ Mine,”Step Brothersis full of unforgettable moments.
Elf Is A Holiday Favorite
On paper,Elfsounds like it shouldn’t work. The premise of a grown man who believes he’s one of Santa’s elves seems far too strange to become a beloved holiday classic. But it works beautifully, thanks to Ferrell’s unwavering commitment to the bit.Elfis a hilarious fish-out-of-water comedyin which a man raised at the North Pole travels to New York City to meet his curmudgeonly biological father. James Caan makes a great deadpan foil for Ferrell as Buddy’s long-lost dad, while Zooey Deschanel is a similarly deadpan foil as his love interest.
Not only doesElfwring plenty of laugh-out-loud gags out of its uniquely oddball story; it also perfectly captures the Christmas spirit. As a result,Elfhas become a staple of Christmastime movie nights.
Zoolander Is A Spot-On Satire Of The Vapid Fashion Industry
Ben Stiller directed his own lead performance as the eponymous male model inZoolander, a spot-on satire ofthe vapidity of the fashion industry. Ferrell gives a scene-stealing supporting turn as Jacobim Mugatu, the unscrupulous fashion mogul who brainwashes Derek Zoolander in a ridiculous plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Whether he’s angrily throwing a scolding latte in his downtrodden assistant’s face or presenting a scale model of a school that Derek mistakes for the school itself, Mugatu always gets a huge laugh whenever he appears on-screen.
Anchorman Is A Pitch-Perfect Parody Of ‘70s Chauvinism
Ferrell and McKay first brought their absurdist sensibility to the big screen inAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.Anchormanis the kind of movie that doesn’t try to do anything more than make its audience laugh. It has ludicrous running gags like Ron’s inexplicable communications with his dog Baxter, quotable one-liners like “I’m in a glass case of emotion!” and “60% of the time, it works every time,” and random non-sequiturs like the news team battle royale (followed by the self-aware “That escalated quickly!” discussion that changed comedy).
Anchormanis often ranked alongsideAirplane!,Ghostbusters, andMonty Python and the Holy Grailasone of the greatest comedies ever made– and deservingly so. There’s no other movie quite like it and it never gets old.
