Jun 18 2008
A short digression on the films of Will Ferrell
So this post isn’t intended to be an expansive inquiry into the topic, but merely raising this issue (though a longer piece may shortly follow).
I just saw Semi-Pro, and I have to say, even though I think Ferrel lis hilarious, I am so tired of his films. The formula is getting worn out. Now the rumor almost appears real that Ferrell and Adam McKay are working on Anchorman 2, and this only makes me want to cry, “WHY?” As annoying as Ferrell can be to many, and even to fans at times, he is a talented comedian and has a far greater potential than films like Talladega Nights would reveal.
I think one of the hinging points of this argument would be Woody Allen’s Melinda & Melinda. Now this film wasn’t all that great, and certainly wasn’t up to par for a Woody Allen film, but Ferrell was great in it. It was a small role and it wasn’t necessarily a role that was intended to produce a lot of laughs, but he was funny in this role and drilled the part. it revealed in him the potential to do some more intelligent comedies than films where he is puking inside of a mascot uniform (though that did make me laugh).
I don’t think there are many directors who do intelligent dark comedies that would deny the opportunity to have Ferrell appear in their films (and not only because he is a cash cow). If he sought out more challenging work that expanded the rather narrow horizons of his comedy I think that his more slapstick routines would benefit and it might bring people back to him as they seem to becoming less and less interested in his work (much in the same way Adam Sandler still draws but has seen a major decline in box office appeal). Sandler even pulled this maneuver and was great in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch Drunk Love, I think Ferrell should follow his lead and try a few more challenging roles that would probably bring a whole new audience to his work.
Eh, not that it’s really all that important, but it is something that bothered me throughout the painfully mind numbing experience of watching Semi-Pro.
