Will Ferrell’s problem is that he is adequately funny doing almost anything. The Saturday Night Live best-of that includes the Harry Caray/Jeff Goldblum sketch has a great example of this- a nonsensical sketch in which Ferrell is playing Robert Goulet selling an album of lounge-style remakes of hip-hop songs. It’s a thin premise, and even in a short sketch it’s abandoned almost immediately for a little interlude with a stuffed moose (or something).
It may be the least thoughtful Saturday Night Live sketch I have ever seen- which is saying something. But it is hilarious, and that can be totally attributed to Ferrell. His upside is his downside- the thing that makes him funny many times is his lack of restraint- his willingness to go places that others won’t go, to play unsympathetic or embarrassing characters with over-the-top sincerity. But this style of comedy is SO CHEAP and SO EASY TO PRODUCE that we get a hundred similar over-the-top characters, rote tropes, funny (occasionally period) costumes, and poorly edited improvised dialogue and it all starts to get annoying after a while. It will continue to happen forever, it was Jim Carrey there for a while, it’s starting now to be Seth Rogan, if he’s not careful.
It’s telling that even people who hate Ferrell can appreciate his talent in Stranger Than Fiction- which is a tightly written and well-directed piece. Jack Black has a similar effect- he is gloriously talented and can be really charming, but he can easily get annoying when unrestrained.
Ferrell is proof that almost all SNL ers peak on the show. He had brilliant sketches there. Nothing interesting since.
Stooges were hilarious and nobody has ever gotten away with that brand of humor but them. I do not know why.
Are you sure you’re not mixing up your Joes? Joe Besser played the whiny bitch Stooge. “You crazy youuuuuu! Not so faaaast! Stop hiiiiiiiitting!” After Shemp’s death, Moe and Larry intended to continue as “The Two Stooges,” however Columbia Studios chief Harry Cohn insisted that Moe and Larry take on a new partner, preferably one who was already under contract to Columbia, so Besser was selected as the “fifth Stooge.”
Curly Joe DeRita was more of a replacement for Jerry “Curly” Howard, whom he physically resembled. He was even recruited to join the Stooges by Jules White after Curly’s stroke, as Shemp was only intended as a temporary replacement, but he declined at that time, so Shemp stayed on until his death in 1955, when he was replaced by Besser.
No, they didn’t. One Stooges short (Men in Black) was nominated for an Oscar, but didn’t win. And that wasn’t the Stooges nominated – it was the producer, Jules White.
Moe, Larry, and Curly were only honored by stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I liked the Stooges as a kid but find them unwatchable now. I found Ferrell unwatchable as soon as I saw him. His best achievement was not ruining Stranger Than Fiction.
I’ve always loved the Three Stooges, but I don’t watch them much anymore, because my wife hates them so much that I’m not allowed to have them on if she’s anywhere in the apartment. Ditto, Benny Hill.
I also like Will Ferrell quite a bit when I’m in the mood. Every once in a while, I want to watch something goofy that doesn’t make me think too hard. Since the Stooges and Benny Hill are out, that usually turns out to be a Will Ferrell movie. He’s not John Barrymore, but you know what, I laugh my ass off.
Also, he’s not that bad of an actor. Stranger than Fiction has already been mentioned, but check out his performance in Old School as well. It’s not only funny, is it? It’s kind of . . . dark. Also, like most of us here, I’ve known my share of real-life alcoholics, and apparently, so does Ferrell, because he *nails * the role. Off the top of my head, I could think of more than a dozen people from my high school and college who could have been technical consultants for this film. No, Will Ferrell is a good actor. Give him a script that wasn’t written by slow-tracked 5th graders in detention, and he’s a very good actor.
Oh, and by the way, Mrs. Fresh has a theory about why so many guys like the Three Stooges and Will Ferrell while so many women hate them. She thinks that guys see themselves as Will Ferrell and the Three Stooges, while women see themselves as the mothers of Will Ferrell and the Stooges. Make of that while you will.
Off topic, but she also has a theory about why so many guys like Benny Hill while women hate him. She thinks it’s because guys are retarded, sexist jerks. Except for me. She doesn’t think I’m sexist.
When he has to carry a movie, he wears thin. Used in smaller parts, he is extremely effective. (Frank the Tank, IMHO, is his best. Though, I haven’t seen most of his other flicks.)
Meanwhile, I’ve felt for a long time that he has some forbidden gay porn of some Major Hollywood executive locked away that allows Ferrell to be in so many movies.
However, his humor does pander to the lowest common denominator, what I refer to as The Walmart Crowd. Which, if you admit it, we all need a Walmart Mentality Movie every once in awhile, and there he is, waiting with a shelf full of gags and buffoonery. Everyone needs a laugh.
Mrs. Fear and I enjoy Ferrell and the Stooges. While not the height of comedy, Ferrell is entertaining and worth renting, though I don’t think I have ever seen him in a theater.
According to the SDMB, the following actors are NOT FUNNY (Except for the time we sat down and actually watched them and they were. Also, this doesn’t count their voice-over work. We loved that one time he played an animated marmot.):
Will Ferrell
Adam Sandler
Ben Stiller
Vince Vaughn
Jack Black
Steve Martin (but only after other people started to find him funny)
Bill Murray
David Schwimmer
Kevin James
Ray Romano
Owen Wilson
Anyone else who has been extremely successful making people laugh in the past 30 years.
The following actors are FUNNY AS SHIT:
The Marx Brothers
Master Wang-Ka
Anyone British
Don Rickles
Up next we’ll do UGLY AS HELL (Jennifer Aniston, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie) and “HOW YOU DOIN’” (Any doper. Doesn’t matter if a possum is growing out of his or her neck.)
I’ll be the first to say that I never liked the Three Stooges, but I like Will Farrell. It’s true though, that a lot of Will Farrells recent stuff has been the same old stuff, but sometimes he’s just funny as hell. He also did the best W impression ever.
I don’t think there is anywhere near that much groupthink on this board. You might be reading a few loud opinionated people and mistaking it for “the board” opinion. In a Simpsons thread somebody inevitibly has to say how much they suck now, but that doesn’t mean we all agree that the Simpsons suck now.
I’m female and I used to love the Three Stooges (Curly and Shemp only, no Joe). I think I still would but haven’t watched them for years. Maybe I’ll see if Netflix is working again and order a disc of shorts to check.
As for Will Ferrell, I don’t care for many of his movies, but I think he can be a good actor in the right part and with the right director. I suppoose mostly he gets offered big bucks for dreck, and I can’t say I wouldn’t take the money and run myself. I see him likely to go the Robin Williams route and eventually make a mix of interesting, well-made movies and slapstick-yet-heartwarming crapfests. But his early stuff will always haunt him…
My wife and I really like Anchorman and Blades of Glory and enjoy Talledega Nights. However, we thought Semi-Pro was very unfunny, have no desire to see Step Borthers, didn’t like Elf.
