Top 10 Will Ferrell Movies

I haven't seen Will Ferrell's new film with the also amazing Amy Poheler, The House, but I figured we could all use a reminder that Will simply doesn't miss!

This list wasn't easy!   Just 10 films?  To make it easier I'm not going to consider movies like Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back where he's not a lead.  Same with  Austin Powers and Wedding Crashers where he's more of a cameo.

Film/Rank:
#10- Land of the Lost (2009)

Favourite Scene:
On the whole I like that Will Ferrell's Rick Marshall likes to antagonize most characters he interacts with throughout the film.  This all comes to a head, for me, when Rick gets in close with Chaka and mouths "Fuck you."  It was a great way around censors and an amazing way to make me laugh.  I'll also take any scene with Rick and Matt Lauer.  It's the perfect example of the antagonistic humour I like from Rick Marshall in this movie.

The Down Side:
More than any other film on this list, you definitely have to be a Will Ferrell fan for this movie.  I don't think any one else gets as many at bats as Will does in this movie in terms of being able to make a joke.  Which makes for a very tedious middle of the movie but there is something about this movie that just works for me.

Film/Rank:
#9- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

Favourite Scene:
Although this particular scene doesn't have Will's Ricky Bobby in the driver seat, I love when his kids get a little too big for their britches at the dinner table with the grandfather.  Not to be outdone by the child actors, Will does have a great response to their insolence.

The Down Side:
I don't know why, but, I just don't dig the Will Ferrell sports movies as much as the other films.  I think what helps this movie is the immensely talented supporting cast.  Watch this movie again today and get bowled over by how many people you recognize!

Film/Rank:
#8- Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

Favourite Scene:
I used to compare Will Ferrell to Jim Carrey and as such Stranger than Fiction was like Will's Truman Show.  I respect the effort even though both movies provide us with essentially comedic performances, they both have a somewhat sad, clearly more dramatic, underpinning.  I say all of that to say I was genuinely touched when Mr. Ferrell's Harold Crick brings Maggie Gyllenhaal's Ana Pascal flours.

The Down Side:
This is a pretty interesting movie.  I think with most movies that try something different, the door is always open to swings and misses depending on the audience member.  But at leas this movie is swinging.

Film/Rank:
#7- The Other Guys (2010)

Favourite Scene:
Although Mr. Ferrell's Allen Gamble not realizing that he has become a pimp is pretty funny, I always laugh at the way he turns Terry's threat on its head and comes out looking more knowledgeable and a bit more vicious.

The Down Side:
I feel like this movie loses points for playing in that weird PG-13 realm of flirting with full on foul language but then finding neutered ways of conveying that.  I wish this movie just went full on R or went the way of the next movie on this list and created a movie that didn't need to straddle any kind of line.

Film/Rank:
#6- Zoolander (2001)

Favourite Scene:
This is a really funny movie.  I can't help it.  I'm all about watching Jerry Stiller go to work.  I even love watching Nicole Kidman's crazy husband from Big Little Lies/Tarzan call out Sarcasm.  And Ben Stiller, who I don't usually find to be the funniest part of any movie, kills it in this movie.  This leaves some fun times between Will's Mugatu, latte's, and Mugatu's assistant.

The Down Side:
I definitely feel like Ben Stiller has all the best parts.  Will is just an eccentric villain, not on the same level as Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder.

Film/Rank:
#5- Elf (2003)

Favourite Scene:
For a better understanding of what I love about this movie, you should listen to the 2016 Christmas Episode of Let's Discuss Films with Laura!  All instances of humour and joy I get from this movie come from Buddy's ceaseless enthusiasm for Christmas and life in general.  But  the one time he's upset with himself and he calls himself a "cotton headed ninny muggins" I lose it!  It's funny every single time.

The Down Side:
The only downside is the more childish elements of Buddy's little brother's story.  That snowball fight just feels like a waste of time.

Film/Rank:
#4- Megamind (2010)

Favourite Scene:
Just to set this movie's high ranking.  If you were ever someone that thought they weren't loveable, this movie is for you.  The heart that anchors this movie about an alien trying to be the bad guy at all costs is what resonates with me the most.  Anyway, the amazing way Will Ferrell's Megamind mispronounces words like hello and school are amazing throughout the film.  I also truly appreciated the relationship he had with David Cross' Minion, #NoGru.  I feel like this might be second only to Wreck-It Ralph in terms of recent animated comedies not from Pixar.

The Down Side:
I would have liked more Brad Pitt as Metro Man, but overall, this movie goes hard.

Film/Rank:
#3- Old School (2003)

Favourite Scene:
I don't think I was up on Will Ferrell when this movie came out.  I was going in for the Vince Vaughn of it all.  I remember there was a point where I thought, am I looking at my new favourite comedic actor?  Will Ferrell as Frank the Tank is unstoppable in this movie but I think my favourite moments involve the couples therapy Frank and his wife go to.  Especially when he describes his contemplation of women's undergarments.  Other than that, his random outbursts involving streaking, Snoop Dogg, and the joy a random encounter in the grocery store brings him, all make for a flawless performance in a movie I just don't love as much as the next two movies.

The Down Side:
Retroactively I'm not a fan of people yelling out "You're my boy blue!"  Just let Will have that and we can all let it live on the screen.

Film/Rank:
#2- Step Brothers (2008)

Favourite Scene:
If you're a fan of the Let's Discuss Film Podcast then you know my sister and I pretty much think every scene of this movie is the best scene of this movie.  There is something about Will's Brennan attempting to hog all the ketchup and mayonnaise concoction for himself that makes me laugh a bit more since it's definitely something I would have tried on Gillian.   But I think the one thing that always makes me laugh and the thing I often quote is the dressing down Brennan gives Dr. Robert Doback when it looks like Robert won't invest in Prestige World Wide.

The Down Side:
I've heard people don't like this movie at all... that's crazy!  I guess if you don't appreciate watching two 40 year olds float through life and ruin their parents' chances at love then maybe this movie can be a downer.

Film/Rank:
#1- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy (2004)

Favourite Scene:
One thing that will make me laugh everytime is when a rag doll is substituted for a real living being being thrown somewhere.  Which means that the funniest thing when I first saw the movie and the only thing that made me want to rewatch the movie and realize it is way better than I initially gave it credit for is when Jack Black kicks Baxter off of a bridge.  His matter-of-fact delivery of why he had to kick Baxter off of a bridge and Ron's reaction is never not funny to me!

The Down Side:
I seriously can't think of a down side to this movie.  The fact that I didn't love it right away just proves that I was tripping.  Will, Steve, David, and Paul are all putting in work.  If that's not your speed, then Christina Applegate provides the Kathryn Hahn provided a more grounded form of humour and are the perfect counterbalance to the mysogny shtick.

-YG