Are you ready for a Will Ferrell argument? No, not the one about whether he'll bare his flabby ass. I'm talking about the debate that's bound to rage when Ferrell's latest sports comedy Semi-Pro opens this weekend and lands smack on top of the box-office charts. Ferrell haters will argue that he's just doing the same thing over and over again (go rent Stranger Than Fiction and Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda to kick that argument in the teeth). His fans will counter that Ferrell is mad funny even when his movies suck. I tend to side with the last group, though Kicking and Screaming, Bewitched and The Producers are difficult to defend on any level. My theory about most movie comedies, whether or not they star Ferrell, is that few of them reach perfection.
What we remember are comic moments, laugh-out-loud scenes that we can return to on DVD for a hoot. The laughs in Semi-Pro, which focuses on Ferrell as the owner, coach and star player of a ragtag ABA basketball team in the disco, afro, love-me-sexy 1970's, are hit and miss, mostly miss. But it's hard to supress a hoot watching Ferrell do the alley oop, rollerskate over eight spread-eagled "ball" girls, and even wrestle a bear to drum up business. Semi-Pro got me thinking of other Ferrell moments I'd take to a desert island like a comedy mix tape. Here's a few of my favorites. Name your own or argue me down, if you can.
Old School
The scene of Ferrell as Frank "The Tank" Ricard reliving his drunken frat days by streaking through the streets and getting caught by his wife, is one for the comedy time capsule.
Zoolander
Ferrell's Mugatu is the fashionista villain who turns male models into assassins and designs a new fashion line, Derelicte, based on the clothing of the homeless. My favorite moment comes when Mugatu crushes Derek (Ben Stiller) and his model-of-the-year dreams by fawning over surfer-dude newcomer Hansel (Owen Wilson) and saying in an indecipherable accent, "Hansel is so hot right now."
Elf
Even when he can't use naughty words or get naked, Ferrell gets laughs as Buddy, a human raised by elves. Don't think I'll ever forget Buddy's outrage when he confronts a departmant store Santa: "You sit on a throne of lies!" It's Ferrell's biggest box-office hit.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Ferrell is sleazy fun as the blow-dried, polyester prince of the Channel 4 news team in San Diego. "Your heinie is breathtaking," he tells one babe. "I want to be friends with it." But what I remember most, besides Ferrell doing "the no-pants dance" with Christina Applegate's female anchor, is Ron 's hilariously unapt sign-off on the news: "Stay classy."
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
As indelibly stupid NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, Ferrell won a Best Kiss MTV Movie Awatd for going wet and deep with Sacha Baron Cohen as a gay French Formula Un driver. But he hits comic paydirt when Ricky says grace at a family dinner and states his preference for the baby Jesus over grownup Jesus, bearded Jesus and the Jesus who opened as a frontman for Lynard Skynard. With scenes like this, it's hard to hate on Ferrell even when his movies don't cut it.
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HeSUcks | June 4, 2009 2:49 PM
will ferrell sucks as hell..i don't like him at all..have seen a couple of his movies and he acted so lame..he tries too hard to be funny and all and unfortunately..it does not work!!! i dunno y producers and directors still pay him for their movies?
jargandargan | March 12, 2008 2:46 PM
This guy can pretty much just ad lib anything and it ends up being hilarious. I think the anchorman soundtrack had some pretty great bits in it... "If I could make love to the entire city, brother, my pants would be off and in a bundle on the floor in two winks of a coal miners eye. You know what I'm talking about... sexual intercourse."
DecemberGuy | March 8, 2008 2:16 AM
His scene with Jon Stewart & Judd Nelson in "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back" are pretty hilarious.
"That monkey shot me in the a** and paralyzed me! Oh sweet irony!"
JB | March 4, 2008 4:20 PM
Blades of Glory-Let me put my poems in you. That whole scene is genius.
JP | March 4, 2008 2:48 PM
We all know that Will Farrell has the ability to make bad scripts better. I think the general consensus is that he should be picking better movies to star in. Regardless if it is in comedy or drama. Honestly, I won't mind him trying more dramatic roles. His portrayal in "Stranger Than Fiction" was the movie saving grace. Without him, it would had been another "I *heart* Huckabee".
I can't believe nobody has mention his cameo in the "Austin Powers" movies. Will describing his injuries combined with the incredulous "You SHOT me!" line is classic.
Sy56 | March 4, 2008 1:10 PM
As Ron Burgundy talking to his dog Baxter:"What is that Baxter?...What??What?? you know I don't speak Spanish, English please..you did what? you ate a whole wheel of cheese and pooped in the refrigerator..no I'm not mad I'm impressed."Ron Burgundy "Yea I'm going jogging this weekend, it might be yogging with a soft J..I don't know, I guess you just run fo long periods of time."
Sean | March 3, 2008 9:13 PM
Don't get me wrong, I like Ferrell, but I think his time as a comedy front man is slowly coming to pass. Just as Adam Sandler, David Spade, Jim Carrey,
(dare I say Ben Stiller & Vince Vaughn), all once held the mantle as comedy's leading actor, it seems that Ferrell's career is starting to decline as well. As Ferrell is declining, the Seth Rogan and Jonah Hill's of comedy are rising. Soon, they too will peak, and five years from now someone will be replacing them. Such is life.
Chaz | March 3, 2008 7:56 PM
WF's best role by far, is Chaz in Wedding Crashers. He played the yoda of wedding crashers to a T, and his numb chuck line is timeless......
Jesse | March 3, 2008 5:56 PM
*sobbing*
"... I'll eat the entire hunk of shit! I don't care!"
Brian | March 3, 2008 5:16 PM
Will Ferrel in "The Ladies Man."
The whimsical musical number about being "manly men" and "cutting off the Ladies Man's balls" was awesome and completely under the radar.
edd | March 3, 2008 4:51 PM
"Stranger Than Fiction" isn't just my favorite Will Ferrell role, it's one of my favorite all-time movies.
Mike S. | March 2, 2008 9:55 PM
Kicking and Screaming wasn't so bad "You're name is liar because you're telling lies!"
Burgundy is the greatest movie character in a comedic flick in the past 20 years:
"That thing's good. I want to be friends with it."
brian | March 2, 2008 6:46 PM
Talladega nights. When he passes out from the broken arm and the gayness.
H-Town | March 2, 2008 6:12 PM
When he plays Harry Carry, that is WF at his best. "Hey Norm"
woody | March 2, 2008 9:51 AM
best neil diamond, ever!
Uncle Salty | March 1, 2008 9:11 PM
The SNL skit where he and that chick (whose name escapes me) are "lovers" in the hut-tub with Jimmy Fallon: "Our bellies full of goat meat..."
Classic.
donkarnage | February 29, 2008 10:31 PM
Wedding Crashers cameo is fantastic. As is his Goulet on SNL.
otis | February 29, 2008 7:00 PM
will is not a bad actor, i just think he stuck doing screwball comedies and it's time for him to do something different
Anonymous | February 29, 2008 6:55 PM
will is not a bad actor i just wish he would change his range he seems to stuck in screwball comedis and he can more
Anonymous | February 29, 2008 5:34 PM
No one has said Wedding Crachers. He steals the movie with only a brief cameo.
"MA! The Meatloaf! Fuck!"
Cowbell | February 29, 2008 4:58 PM
"I'm gonna punch you in the ovary. That's what I'm going to do. Right in the babymaker" - Anchorman. I have to say that while not a quote, I was in stitches watching him try to get on the escalator in ELF. And now the obvious, that for some reason have been left out thus far "You my boy blue!", and "It's so good! Once it hits your lips, it's so good!"
Blue Steel | February 29, 2008 3:44 PM
"I'm sorry did my pin get in the way of your ass?!"
Chris Jenkins | February 29, 2008 2:32 PM
"If I don't see you again, just keep on truckin'" from Old School, after his wife told him they should divorce, that line just cracked me up...the best WF movie is, by far, Stranger Than Fiction
Arijit | February 29, 2008 11:07 AM
WF is funny alright, but is he as good as Jimbo Carrey? I don't think so! He's riding it coz Carrey had a slew of rot movies of late. One good movie and WF will be back making funnies on SNL.
E | February 29, 2008 10:09 AM
I INVENTED THE PIANO KEY NECK TIE DEREK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? NOTHING DEREK, NOTHING!
PS-STRANGER THAN FICTION WAS AMAZING!!!!!!
Shawn | February 29, 2008 10:06 AM
Will in Starsky and Hutch: "Two dragons"
Ron Burgundy | February 29, 2008 7:23 AM
'Milk was a bad choice..."
Graham | February 29, 2008 12:45 AM
Toddddd! Don't you know I get farty and bloated with a foamy latte. My mistake Jaqobim. Your mistake indeed!
goofjuice | February 28, 2008 10:34 PM
"is this baxter? bark twice if you're in Milwaukee..." (anchorman) "obey my dog!" (zoolander) "i don't know what to do with my hands" {first interview} (talladega nights)... and as jesus in the forgotten 'superstar', "that song's about me you know", {spirit in the sky}... and yes plenty of cowbell
Corey Young | February 28, 2008 10:02 PM
The best Will Ferrell movie, hands down, is "A Night at the Roxbury." How could you not mention this movie? "what's up? what's up? what's up? what's up? what's up?" lol such a classic...."i was like, 'Emiliooooo'."
right here. | February 28, 2008 8:22 PM
I'm not a big WF fan but I guess I've seen a fair number of his movies and I think my favorite moment of his is in Old School when he's talking to his ex-wife after the funeral and he trying to convince her to have dinner with him and they'll "put on the Sisqo cd." That always made me giggle.
Fiver | February 28, 2008 8:05 PM
More cow bell
blah | February 28, 2008 7:55 PM
Stranger than Fiction is still my favorite Will Ferrell role
MrSean | February 28, 2008 7:36 PM
I know. I know. It's not actually a film per se, but when he parodied Matrix:Reloaded's confusing Architect scene at the MTV movie awards; I was in stitches!
"Can you actually believe they wanted to call it Road-Crossing Frog?"
miguel | February 28, 2008 5:54 PM
the guy who said Ferrell isn't relevant is obviously from the past and time machined his way over here today. If he was from today he would know how much of an idiot he sounds like. for the rest of us from the present time, we know him as a household name and freaking hilarious.
Jordan | February 28, 2008 5:38 PM
Though that Old School moment of streaking plays as the center-piece of silly in the movie, the funnier scenes for me are when he re-gifts back to Luke Wilson, the tranquilizer scene and Will's statements that facilitate the need for "earmuffs".
Midwest Mike | February 28, 2008 4:50 PM
"They named it San Diago..which of course in German meant...a whale's vagina."
Hunter | February 28, 2008 4:41 PM
I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS!
Hawk-i-69 | February 28, 2008 3:56 PM
not all the movies are great but you cant say he doesnt make you laugh. plus stanger then fiction is an overlooked classic
mike b. | February 28, 2008 3:46 PM
i think this assessment of ferrell misses the mark: he's a funny guy, but sort of one-note (sure he's done different stuff, but none of it was very good, popular, or relevant). he's done a few good movies and a few bad ones. there, debate over.
Kris | February 28, 2008 3:19 PM
I would agree with none of those as my favorite Will Ferrell moments, although I love mostly all his movies and certainly agree those are funny moments. I would say Ron Burgundy is my favorite Ferrell character of all of them, and the most consistently funny.
I also saw fit to point out the band is spelled "Lynyrd Skynyrd". Just thought it funny seeing as this is, at least ostensibly, a music magazine.
Zoolander | February 28, 2008 2:45 PM
The best Will Ferrel scene from Zoolander was when he screamed in outrage at the fact that Zoolander had the same look in all his pictures. "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
I have to agree on the baby Jesus scene.
"I like to think of Jesus as a mischievous badger."
Nina | February 28, 2008 2:38 PM
Even in what was an otherwise forgettable Movie, Ferrell had me cracking up as the overly caffeinated, irate Starbucks customer in "Kicking and Screaming."
Surf City Sounds Plus | February 28, 2008 1:49 PM
I think casting WF as Darren instead of Jim Carrey in the "Bewitched" movie was heresy. I don't know what he's like in person, but what I've seen of his acting I find annoying. ~JBK