THE NINE BEST WILL FERRELL ROLES

With Everything Must Go hitting limited theatres in the US this weekend I felt it’d be a fun exercise to go through some of my favourite roles that comedian Will Ferrell has given us to date.

He’s well known for his “loud” style of comedy, and by that I mean if you aren’t laughing he’ll start shouting the very same joke at you louder and louder until you start to find it funny. At times it can be annoying but eventually the annoyance eventually evolves into being hysterical soon enough. There’re very few times that Ferrell‘s style of acting doesn’t work, and here are nine times where they worked really well.

9. Chazz Reinhold from Wedding Crashers (2005)

This is pretty much an honourable mention for me. It’s not the most memorable but if you were a fan of this comedy starring Favreau and Owen Wilson then the scene where the grandfather of the constantly referenced rule book appears and it turns out to be Ferrell is just too fun. He starts to babble on about how he’s evolved from weddings and have started crashing funerals. It’s special.

8. Brennan Huff from Step Brothers (2008)

This is a film that I fell in love with from the very first time I saw it, but overtime I’ve become very mellow about. It’s another great Adam McKay comedy starring Ferrell and Reilly and as before they play off each other brilliantly, but in the end it is one of the less loved films because it just doesn’t hold up as well as all the others.

7. Harold Crick from Stranger than Fiction (2006)

In a movie where it’s about a story where the main character comes to realization that he’s actually the protagonist in some woman’s novel that’s being written as he acts it’s very hard to toe the line between crazy and methodical but somehow Ferrell, a man that’s never shown a lick of subtlety in his career thusfar, finds that line and makes his character more than just a loveable guy who’s in a weird situation.

6. Franz Liebkind from The Producers (2005)

When you’re character is a former Nazi that’s written a musical made to show the greatness of Adolf Hitler you know there has to be a screw or two loose. Ferrell‘s over the top madness shown in the role of Franz Liebkind is too fun for words. If there’s anything you need to have you sold check out this performance of “Haben Sie Gehort das Deutsche Band“.

5. Jacobim Mugatu from Zoolander (2001)

If I were to say that Zoolander is one of the greatest comedies of the last decade I’m sure I wouldn’t have many complaints. The film is ridiculous and out of this world while taking the world of fashion for a twirl. Ferrell appears as one of the top designers that never ceases to make you cough up a lung, especially when fitting a certain “fat assed” young lady and happened to be one of my most laugh-out-loud moments with film.

4. Ron Burgundy from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

It’s not my fault that Adam McKay makes funny movies. It’s one of the most quotable comedies of the last decade with almost every line from the news team delivered with a sense of certainty that keeps getting funnier each time you hear it.

3. Frank Richard from Old School (2003)

When you find the reborn alcoholic in the room face down in the ground this is the film you dedicate to him. I don’t know what I can say about this movie that hasn’t already been said so I’m going to leave it there.

2. Ricky Bobby from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

I can’t remember the last time I fell so head over heals for a comedy. I just loved the chemistry in “Shake and Bake!” and also the ridiculousness of the character played by Sacha Baron Cohen. The film is what you would imagine a stereotypical Ferrell comedy is, it’s loud and ignorant all for the sake of pointing and laughing at a group of people who’ve had the finger pointed them more than enough times, but at the same time that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love the heck out of it.

1 Allen Gamble from The Other Guys (2010)

Who knew that Adam McKay had one more in his pocket. I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with. Here, unlike all the other Ferrell and McKay films Ferrell is a bit more restrained in most regards, even though the character itself is a bit ridiculous. He instead is left to play off the over the top Wahlberg. It’s a fantastic film and a better performance.

What’s your favourite Will Ferrell Role?


Andrew Robinson

This is my blog. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My blog is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my blog is useless. Without my blog, I am useless. I must fire my blog true. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my blog and myself are defenders of my mind, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.

  1. Film Intel

     In terms of favourite Ferrell character I find it hard to look past Ron Burgundy (even though I think the film is over-rated). In terms of him though, I don't think he's ever been better than in STRANGER THAN FICTION which is an under-appreciated modern classic in my eyes.

    • Andrew Robinson

      I think it's easy to look at STRANGER THAN FICTION as the stand out performance because it stands out as his one real dramatic role and he doesn't fumble it at all. But I get what you're saying at the same time. 

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