With his raunchy new dog comedy Strays hitting theaters this weekend, it’s time for us to take a look back at the career of funnyman Will Ferrell.
The Saturday Night Live legend transitioned successfully into a major presence in movies, with so many all-time comedies featuring Ferrell in their casts.
While we’re not necessarily ranking his best movies here, we are taking a look at what we feel are the 10 best performances of Ferrell’s career.
Disclaimer: we know Step Brothers is low on this list. We have nothing against Step Brothers. It is a very funny movie. It’s on here, just low.
10
Brennan Huff, Step Brothers
While the film is a tad overrated when compared to other comedies of its time, Step Brothers is still a very funny comedy that veers into straight, delightful dadaism in moments.
It’s probably the best that Ferrell and longtime co-star John C. Reilly did playing off each other, and the film has remained one of the more memorable works of Ferrell’s run.
Take a trip on memory lane to the Catalina Wine Mixer, and you’ll remember why.
9
Lars Erickssong, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
A pleasant surprise during the COVID-19 pandemic, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga felt like one of the films from Ferrell’s absurdly good 2000s run.
Playing a musical Icelandic duo with dreams of breaking free from his small town, it was great to find the actor actually harnessing his loony tone in a heartfelt comedy that really made the most of its setting. While most of Ferrell’s comedies of late have fallen short of the bar, this one was a success.
8
Lord Business, The LEGO Movie
While it’s primarily a vocal performance, one of Ferrell’s best roles continues to be his dastardly Lord Business in 2014’s landmark hit The LEGO Movie.
While choosing Ferrell in a role like this could’ve fallen to the wayside of stunt casting, the actor really hams up the villainy and makes the LEGO baddie one of the film’s true highlights.
7
Buddy, Elf
It’s one of the definitive Christmas movies, and it’s the movie that launched Ferrell to superstardom 20 years ago, as hard as that is to believe.
Even if Elf might be a bit overplayed during the holiday season, Ferrell’s puppy-like enthusiasm has kept this film fresh even after all these years.
6
Armando Alvarez, Casa de mi Padre
The most underrated film of Ferrell’s storied career, Casa de mi padre is a spectacular homage to Latin telenovelas and one of Ferrell’s most unexpectedly refined performances. The actor had to fully speak Spanish to portray rancher Armando Alvarez, and he knocks his role out of the park.
The film itself is just such a painstaking recreation (and hilarious overexaggerating) of what it’s spoofing that it becomes a fitting continuation of the format it’s sending up. The attention to detail is just startling for a comedy like this, with filmmaker Matt Piedmont doing his homework on how to nail the aesthetics of the 70s telenovela.
Complete with an irresistible supporting cast of actors like Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna and Genesis Rodriguez, this movie is as funny as it is impressive. It’s a hidden gem in Ferrell’s filmography.
5
Harold Crick, Stranger Than Fiction
While Ferrell is primarily known for his comedic chops, his performance as a man trying to figure out if his fate is connected to the words of an author in the dramedy Stranger Than Fiction is one of his best.
The dramedy gave Ferrell a chance to slide right into the fantastical nature with his uncanny ability to take very seriously the strange ongoings around him. Ferrell gives Crick a tender touch not often seen in his other films.
We miss movies like Stranger Than Fiction, ones that take ordinary people and put them in outrageous circumstances played with full sincerity. Ferrell’s heartfelt take on a man in a bizarre crisis still stands tall in his body of work.
4
Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
What else can you say about Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby? It’s one of the best comedies of the 2000s, a rip-roaring Bush-era satire of American excess and full-throttle competition.
Ricky Bobby is one of Ferrell’s defining characters, a man whose gusto is only outmatched by his drive to be first … because if you’re not first, you’re last. This film is one of the most quotable of its time, and it still works startlingly well to this day to make you laugh and think about the world it was made in.
3
Detective Allen Gamble, The Other Guys
A brilliant send-up of cop movies, The Other Guys paired Ferrell with Mark Wahlberg is a blisteringly funny movie and gave Ferrell the kind of straight-man performance that only he can expand into something absurd and hysterical.
He and Wahlberg went on to work together on the Daddy’s Home movies, but the two’s best combination came with this Adam McKay-directed slam dunk. You’ll never look at cop procedurals the same way again, or Jersey Boys, for that matter.
2
Jacobim Mugatu, Zoolander
While Ferrell isn’t the main attraction in Zoolander, his portrayal of fashion villain Jacobim Mugatu remains one of his absolute career pinnacles.
Zoolander is a great-enough movie on its own, a razor-sharp spoof of celebrity culture and the fashion world. However, Ferrell’s Mugatu is the secret ingredient.
While Ferrell’s outlandish tone eventually grew a bit stale, it reached its peak with Mugatu. Seeing Ferrell be able to go 110-percent with full success like this is just an otherworldly experience, and he helps make Zoolander the classic it is.
1
Ron Burgundy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
You could argue that Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is one of the Mt. Rushmore comedies, a pitch-perfect character study combined with some incredible set pieces, unforgettable jokes and scathing commentary.
Ferrell’s best performance will always be Burgundy, the culmination of his arrogant, fallible smarminess and his brash, loud unpredictability.
It’s a, forgive the pun, legendary role for an all-time comedic actor, and it’s hard to see Ferrell ever topping his delightful tool of a local newsman.
