Whether hero or villain, headliner or supporter, Will Ferrell's versatile knack for both straight-and-dry deadpan and over-the-top eccentricity - and everything in between - has cast him in, or put him in consideration for at the least, every big-time studio comedy of "The Frat Pack" era.
The following are just a select few of his countless iconic personas. Honorable mention paid to Jackie Moon for inventing the Slam Dunk. Eliminated from contention are roles Ferrell either originated on Saturday Night Live, or bit character work in films he completed while still a cast-member and therefore, when he was still more affiliated with the show than as a leading man in Hollywood. That includes the likes of Mugatu.
10 Gator (The Other Guys)
Funny as he was, Detective Allen Gamble's problematic and long-been-dormant "pimp" alter ego was as fearsome as his grills were golden. The complete opposite of Allen in every way, Gator represented the enormity of rage and no-filtered shamelessness buried deep inside of Allen in ways not dissimilar to Jim Carrey's "Hank" other-half in The Farrelly Brothers' underrated 2000 road-trip raunch-fest, Me, Myself & Irene.
While fans cannot expect a Gator prequel spin-off anytime soon, GIFs and YouTube clips keep his memory alive.
9 Chazz (Wedding Crashers)
"Ma! The Meat Loaf!" Billed as a God among men in the specific social trade the leads partake in, Chazz both endears himself to audiences while unraveling his own image in front of Owen Wilson's John Beckwith.
That happens when the latter visits the marital reception-bombing pioneer former in search of sage wisdom. What he receives instead is a boat-load of Chazz one-liners with ever-green quotability.
8 Chazz Michael Michaels (Blades Of Glory)
Most times, a Ferrell comedy firing on all cylinders is only as strong as its overly-proud lead. For if Ferrell's stubborn-as-he-is-graceful figure-skating Chazz Michael Michaels had the ability to admit defeat or forgive as quickly as the average person may, there would be no story to be told regarding him and Jimmy MacElroy's (Jon Heder).
Them finally seeking to squash their beef to pursue the athletic prowess their rivalry denied each of them years earlier makes for a strong story, even if Michael Michaels isn't the nicest guy.
7 Ricky Bobby (Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby)
From bad man to better man, Ferrell's reckless NASCAR peddler could arguably fight for the top seed on a Will Ferrell best role power ranking.
While audiences jeer with glee at the race-track warrior's parenting style - highlighted by his feeding his sons, Walker and Texas Ranger, Dominoes, Checkers, KFC, and the always delicious Taco Bell for a $112.27 Thanksgiving dinner - his approach to running a household leaves much to be faithfully desired.
6 Ron Burgundy (Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy)
"I'm Ron Burgundy?" is an iconic line. As Scrubs' Zach Braff recently recounted on the "Fake Doctors, Real Friends" podcast he co-hosts with Donald Faison, when the Anchorman trailer hit in 2004, people were laughing at Ferrell before he even said a word.
His instant laugh-producing mustache aside, Burgundy - like Bobby - overcomes alarmingly frequent bouts of buffoonery and outdated sexist schtick by becoming the hero in the end.
5 Phil Weston (Kicking & Screaming)
Perhaps the most underrated of the Ferrell film golden age, Kicking & Screaming was not the first time the actor played a regular man who needed just a simple push from the universe to transform into a certifiable lunatic.
But as the pee-wee soccer coach so wrapped up in his quest for victory over his bully-for-a-dad that he becomes the very thing he loathed most, Ferrell became the first to demonstrate the pitfalls of coffee abuse and baby blue jumpsuit reliance.
4 Brennan Huff (Step Brothers)
Unlike some earlier-discussed Ferrell protagonists whose heroics are a reward for their realizing the error in their ways, Brennan Huff and his stepbrother Doback are deeply disturbed man-children whose awfulness was not a choice.
Only through teaming up together, losing each other, then reuniting again, can the pair finally take control of their own livelihoods and save the day. Capitalized by Brennan's genuinely-moving Spanish cover of Andrea Bocelli's "Time to Say Goodbye" as a last-ditch ever to save the f**king Catalina Wine Mixer.
3 Harold Crick (Stranger Than Fiction)
In a film evoking Charlie Kaufman levels of meta-fantasy, Ferrell shines as the routine-devout tax auditor in a race against time when a novelist (Emma Thompson) begins narrating his life, contemplating how she'll kill him off to complete her latest work.
Ferrell's brief comedic detour from silliness landed him a Golden Globe nomination, as he proved a worthy romantic lead opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal - a pastry baker who stays right by his side to the too satisfying-to-be-spoiled, heroism-filled end.
2 Buddy The Elf (Elf)
The stakes were never higher when a lovable Will Ferrell lead was called upon to save the day than in Elf. Everyone's favorite Christmastime viewing culminates in Buddy the Elf saving the holiday by restoring the spirit that had recently begun to dwindle among the human race.
Christmas spirit that Santa's sled-engine and reindeer run on of course. By the end, Ferrell's Buddy comes out on top. He gets Christmas back, his dad, the girl, and his New York and North Pole families combine to improbably become one.
1 Frank "The Tank" (Old School)
What other feat could trump the preservation of Christmas? It would be Frank the Tank saving the fraternity by snatching audio evidence of administrative bribery right from the hands of the villainous Dean Pritchard.
Commanding Snoop to bring his hat. Streaking on the side of the highway. Taking a horse tranquilizer to the jugular and not going down (until of course, he does). The no-holes-barred antics of a separated-from-his-newlywed Ferrell not only showcased his movie star staying power just after departing SNL. It also constituted the noblest of heroics his mere dust-in-the-wind characters-by-comparison have performed: maintaining one's kid-like, infectious "party mode" innocence well into adulthood.
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January 31, 2021 at 06:30AM
