Monday, 03.03.08
Failed Ferrell Formula?
Scott Gries/Getty Images Entertainment
According to Hollywood legend, Talledega Nights was pitched to the studios with just six words: Will Ferrell as a Nascar driver. That formula -- drop the inherently hilarious star into a potentially hilarious milieu -- has produced most of Ferrell's biggest hits, from Talledega Nights to Anchorman (Ferrell as a '70s local news anchor) to Blades of Glory (Ferrell as a figure skater).
But even though it was up against weak competition -- The Other Boleyn Girl, likewise panned by critics, was the only other major release -- Semi-Pro couldn't even live up to the opening-weekend standard set by 2005's Kicking And Screaming (Will Ferrell as a pee-wee soccer coach), heretofore the weakest of the genre.
So is the "Will Ferrell as Something Hilarious" formula finished? Let's hope not. Movies like Talladega Nights and Anchorman, Semi-Pro and Blades of Glory are essentially long-form Saturday Night Live sketches -- shaggy and improvisational, often hilarious but just as often hit-and-miss. But that's precisely the kind of comedy Will Ferrell was born to do, whether on the small screen, the big one, or the web. When he's strayed from this comfort zone -- either for mainstream "comedies" like Bewitched, or worse, in bids for "serious actor" cred like Melinda and Melinda or Stranger Than Fiction -- the results have been mediocre at best, brutal at worst. Better that he sticks to what he knows: I'd rather watch a thousand Semi-Pros than see Ferrell end up like Robin Williams.
Funny moneyPortfolio profiles the Ferrell-Sequoia partnership that is trying to remake comedy on the Web. |
SlapstickLynne Hirschberg says Ferrell is "in sync with a prevailing spirit of cheerful mediocrity in America." |
Inspired clowningMatt Zoller Seitz doesn't see any genius in Semi-Pro, but finds plenty to like. |
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While Will Ferrell is a funny guy, this tired formula has had its run. I'd love to see him in a different type of comedy--Steve Martin family-ish with a twist of sociological commentary would be perfect. I would also like to see him cross over into more serious roles. He's great actor and is good for more than overreacting in sports outfit.
Posted by CA Cole | March 4, 2008 12:36 PM