This is where I kinda have to agree…in the smaller roles - yes. Funny. But when he’s constantly re-vamped as “same character, different sport/occupation/etc.,” well, thats when it gets way LESS funny.
And my apologies to the mods for posting willy-nilly. Thanks for moving to the appropriate forum. 
Yeah, Mustafu, the evil henchman in Austin Powers. Remember how Austin powers was so bored and peeved asking him the same question 3 times? Yea, that’s how I feel every time he comes on the screen.
I found his role in wedding Crashers totally appropriate: the guy who invented something that was so hip, cool and over-the-top, but had been done to death, until the protagonist was boread and unsatisfied with it any more. Except that Ferrell didn’t invent it.
Its easy to see why he makes these, not even counting DVD, PPV, overseas, etc.-
Blaze of Glory 128m US b.o., 61m budget
Talladega Nights 148m bo, 72m budget
Kickin & Screaming 52m bo, 45m budget
Anchorman 84m bo, 26m budget
Old School 74m bo, 24m budget
Yes Will, for the love of God, quit making millions of dollars for yourself and the studio! On the plus side, he’ll run out of sports eventually. 
For the record, I loved Anchorman, liked Old School, and haven’t seen the others.
Especially one with Jackie Earle Haley in it.
I won’t be running out to see this in its first run, but it might be the best thing at the $3 theatre in a couple months (weeks?).
As for Will Ferrell and these movies…I’m reminded of a quote that I believe is from Michael Caine about a terrible movie he was in. He agreed that the film was awful but contended that the villa in Spain that it paid for was quite lovely. (very loosely paraphrased)
There’s an unlimited supply of 12-15 year olds who will plunk down their $10 to see a grown man get hit in the nuts. Who am I to begrudge Ferrell, or Sandler or anyone the big pile of money that nets them just because it makes me sad that that’s what passes for comedy.
From the OP’s IMDB link: This plot is empty. Please add a plot synopsis.
A plea from IMDB, or from the creators of the movie itself?
For whatever it’s worth, conventional wisdom is that a movie has to gross twice its budget to make a profit, since theaters do take their cut of the box office gross. (I’m not sure how much DVD sales have changed this.) If that’s true, Old School and Anchorman were very profitable, the others made money but not necessarily that much.
I am not a Will Farrel fan and am always amazed he keeps getting work. I *did *enjoy Elf though, or at least most of it. I guess I’m getting old, because most of today’s comedies don’t make me laugh.
No he isn’t.
The class clown is the guy who was actually funny.
Will Ferrell is the nerd who joined the drama club to get attention. He’s as funny as an axe wound.
A good rule of thumb is to take the US box office and 55% of that is what the studio actually takes in from the theatres. So Blades of Glory and Talladega were not huge return on investment for pure box office.
Of course, international box office, cable tv rights, dvd sales ect. ect. are pure gravy.
ETA Curse you Marley!
Elf was cute, Anchorman and *Talladega Nights * were very funny (Judd Apatow was involved, after all!), and *Stranger Than Fiction * is just an AWESOME movie, one of the best of the last few years. I only skipped *Blades of Glory * because I can’t stand Jon “Napoleon Dynamite” Heder, and I’ll probably skip Semi-Pro, but Ferrell isn’t going anywhere, and that’s fine with me.
Oh, I’ve heard he’s a very nice guy in real life, and actually helped save his friend Chris Parnell’s job the first time Lorne Michaels fired Parnell from Saturday Night Live.
I’d say this extends well beyond Will Ferrell. For the past 10-12 years the standard comedic format has been to create the most absurdly unbelievable characters possible and play them off as entirely serious through an uninspired (and usually equally absurd) plot. Think about it. Some of the “greatest comedic actors of our time” are supposedly Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, and Jack Black.
The worst part is that it wouldn’t take much to make their movies better. If you want me to suspend my disbelief and accept the characters as is, surround them with well developed rational characters. **Elf **is absurd but hilarious because everyone in the movie looks at Buddy, thinks, “What the hell is wrong with this guy?”, and reacts accordingly (with reactions differing depending on their personality).
It’s kind of sad that now-a-days I find myself laughing more during dramas than comedies.
I think it was Joan Rivers that said that Ferrell is completely full of himself. (4th question down).
I’m sure he’d stop making movies if he didn’t need to pay his rent. Unfortunately, his landlord is pretty strict.
Cool! Will Ferrell and I have something in common. Now if I could just get Amy Adams so hotted up she’d crawl across a table to get at me, I’d be in heaven!
All of are crazy. Talladega Nights was hilarious. Definitely the funniest “Will Ferrell Movie” by a mile. But then it goes that extra mile and it really funny just on it’s own.
And Stranger Than Fiction was awesome too.
Personally, I’m waiting for Ferrell to make the movie you know he’s been dying to make…
What Is the Alex Trebek Story?
Wow, no mention of his Wedding Crashers role although you can just interchange it with whichever of his other attempts at entertainment…
All of you are out of your mind and should go back to nitpicking Star Wars and Lord of the Rings films. Anchorman, Talladega Nights and Zoolander were hilarious. His minor roles in Weding Crashers and the Austin Powers movies were also pretty funny. Even Elf and Blades of Glory weren’t half bad. And of course Stranger Than Fiction was really good as his semi-serious Truman Show breakout movie.
Ok, Bewitched and Night at the Roxbury sucked and I never bothered to see Curious George or Kicking and Screaming. You can’t hit it out of the park every time.
I will also concede that Will Farrell has got about as much milage out of the “pompous arrogant buffoon who is inexplicably the greatest in the world at what he does” character. Evan Sandler has stretched beyond his “lovable quick-tempered retard” character with films like Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish and Reign Over Me.
In response to Crawlspace: Anchorman, Talledega Nights, Zoolander and even Bades of Glory are IMHO, funny because he is an absurd character in what are, in reality, absurd industries - news broadcasting, NASCAR auto racing, fashion modeling and professional ice skating. B of G, however is made less funny by that moron from Napolean Dynamite.
As I said, I didn’t see Kicking and Screaming, but I iagine it would be unfunny for two reasons: 1) it’s a kids movie and 2) Will’s over the top character would basically make him an asshole soccer dad, not a lovable buffoon.
I freakin’ love the guy. I look forward to the film.
I think Judd Apatow’s movies are going in a different direction, creating characters and plots which are believable and sympathetic, and then throwing in a little absurdity here and there, but keeping the main comedic focus on the realistic things in life that make us laugh. So the days of the over-the-top gag-fest are sort of coming to an end, I think.
But having said that, I think Will Ferrell is the man, and he cracks me up every time. So I hope he keeps on making movies, because I’ll keep on seeing them.
God, I hate hate hate his brand of humor with a burning passion. Same character all the damn time, overdone ridiculousness that falls flat over and over again. No subtlety, nothing clever, it only ever works (and even then rarely) as short SNL skits. Cowbell was funny, but not necessarily because of him.
That being said, I’ll 3rd the Stranger Than Fiction loves, because he was really really good in it. He’s a good actor. His comedy just fellates donkeys.
Hadn’t heard of Winter Passing, though. I’ll check it out.