[quote name='munch']
Will Ferrell = I like him. I can just look at him and laugh. Some say that he, like Stiller, plays the same role everytime. I don't think he does. He's very subtle and plays it smart.
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I don't know about that. It depends on what you are talking about. Ron Burgandy = Blades of Gay = Talladega Nights = Wedding Crashers = Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Those are all the same guy - big, dumb, stupid, arrogant, and annoying. But those make him the most money by far.
Elf is dangerously close to the above.
But he was in a Woody Allen directed movie called Melinda and Melinda, and surprisingly he did a great job. In fact, if you watch the way he acts and what he's saying, it's pretty obvious that he's playing the character Woody Allen would have played in the movie, to the point where you could close your eyes and see Allen being that character.
Which, considering Woody Allen's career, is pretty extraordinary.
I think Ferrel works best when he has to be restrained and can't just be "OH LOOK I FELL OVER" bullshit. You see that in Stranger than Fiction and Bewitched to a degree.
I think he could do really well in certain roles that are more dramatic than comedic, but never dark. I.e., Jim Carrey trying to be a serious actor is kind of the same deal - it just doesn't work. But being in Eternal Sunshine? That works.
Besides, it looks like John C. Reilly is being prepped to be Ferrel's replacement, since he's showing up in all these shitty comedies lately. Which is a shame - he can be a great actor.