It rhymes with Kill Zerrell
As we’ve already established on this blog, I don’t just go along with the crowd. I march to beat of a different drum, take the road less traveled, put peanut butter in my chili, etc. In no way do I think this makes me better than anyone else. But I do feel it gives me a clearer perspective on some things. Especially being free of the mainstream media forcing their opinions down my throat. My vision on certain things is less clouded by the obstructions of others you might say. And although I am opposed to aforementioned forcing of opinions, facts are another issues. When a truth is revealed, it must be given to the world. And so, like Isaiah of old, I have a message. Believe it, & it can help set you free. Ignore it, & it may destroy you. Are you ready? Here goes.
WILL FERRELL IS NOT THAT FUNNY!!!
Can I get an amen? (Amen!) Thank you brother. Now people who know me might be a little surprised by the statement, because I used to say he just isn’t funny at all. But, being the open-minded kind of guy I am, I looked a little closer & reevaluated my position. And I’ll tell you why.
Ferrell specializes in dumb comedy. Goofy facial expressions, stupid body movements, acting ignorant, etc. That in & of itself is not a bad thing. There is a place for that in movies & TV. The success of The Three Amigos & Dumb and Dumber show that pure dumb comedy can be funny. But many have labeled Ferrell a comedic genius, & dumb comedy does not equal comedic genius.
That is where I used to leave off with Ferrell. From what I saw of his SNL work & early films, he was nothing but a dumb comedian. Most of his films are worthless, throw-off, comedic drivel that appears only to be made to milk the growing number of Americans that can’t handle anything other than stupid comedy of their money. Most of his routines are nothing more than mental diarrhea that’s enhanced with exaggerated gestures & overblown expressions. If he continues on this path, it will only end in him being totally irrelevant, a la Chevy Chase. But, I have finally seen a reason to have hope.
Stupid comedy for satire is one of the great comedic mediums. Think Steve Martin in The Man With Two Brains & All Of Me. Think The Honeymooners. Think even back to the Marx Brothers in Duck Soup & Buster Keaton in The General. Each time the dumb comedy brings out not only the absurdities of the stars, but the ridiculousness of the characters around them. They illustrate that life itself is a comedy at times to be enjoyed, & joined in on, by all. I have seen that Ferrell has made attempts at such satire, but he errors in making himself the center of the dumb comedy instead of the foil for others. But what I have seen of Anchorman shows me that he can find his way to comedic genius if he will but learn the old adage, less is more.
I haven’t watched the entire movie yet, mainly because I’ve been repulsed by almost everything else I’ve seen him do. But the clips I’ve seen show him playing a more subdued character in Ron Burgundy. Still flawed, ridiculous, & funny, but not so much as some around him. Still the star of the show, but because everyone else plays off of him as opposed to him having to outshine them all. His Celebrity Jeopardy skits are another example of this. Playing Alex Trebek he gets big laughs & runs the show even as others, Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery for example, get big laughs at his expense. But you still know Will is the man.
Right now, Will Ferrell walks a perilous line. On one side is Chevy Chase & Jerry Lewis. Comedians whose dumb schtick wore thin over time. On the other side is Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, & Steve Martin who used their skills to skewer other people & situations around them. Yet were always capable of getting off a big gag at any time. What side will he choose. The easy way that will most likely leave him box-office poison in a short time, or the more nuanced path that could end in true comedic genius? I’m going to watch Anchorman. I’m going to be hoping for the best. And for the first time, I’m going to be pulling for Will Ferrell.