By
Sean Gandert
on July 25, 2008 2:00 PM|Permalink
Release Date: July 25
Director: Adam
McKay
Writers: story
by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay and John C. Reilly, screenplay by Will Ferrell
and Adam McKay
Cinematographer: Oliver
Wood
Starring: Will
Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen, Adam Scott
Studio/Run
Time: Columbia Pictures, 95 mins.
Ever since he left his starring role on Saturday Night Live for superstardom in film, Will Ferrell’s many characters have
been criticized as being pretty much all the same.They’re overgrown children, unable to
cope with the world.Step Brothers’ strength is admitting
this and turning it around into the premise for the film. Other than childishness, there is pretty much no other aspect to his character,
Brennan Huff, or John C. Reilly’s Dale Doback, to the
point where they’re literally beaten up on a schoolyard by bullies.It’s no longer about being an overgrown child
as a racecar driver or news anchor; instead, it’s back to the
basics and better because of it.
By
Elizabeth Hendley
on July 22, 2008 3:18 PM|Permalink
Will Ferrell has signed on for a new project at Sony, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film, titled 2-Face, will pit Ferrell against himself as man who develops a multiple personality disorder after a car accident.
"When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
And here we thought that House was going to be the best treatment of Sherlock Holmes that we would ever see. If it were somehow possible to harvest the kinetic energy of a Victorian author turning in their grave because their work was being adapted into modern media, then we could stick a conduit into Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's coffin and tell Al Gore to quit campaigning for renewable energy. Columbia Pictures just announced an untitled comedy film starring Sascha Baron-Cohen as Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson, with the ever-present comedy maven Judd Apatow on board for production. At this rate, Sherlock Holmes is going to be to the late 2000s what the killer asteroid was to the late 1990s.
Recently, USAToday's Pop Candy blog pointed out to the world that, once again, rumblings have started concerning the possibility of a sequel to the much-loved Will Ferrell movie, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Two years ago, Ferrell attended the Toronto Film Festival, and spoke there about his desire to do a sequel, featuring Ron Burgundy as an European correspondent. Since, there hasn't been much in the way of news about it, but now that the filming of Step Brothers has been completed and it's heading for the theaters this July, perhaps Ferrell's busy schedule is beginning to clear up.
Director Adam McKay recently spoke with Collider.com, and from the sound of it, it's looking quite likely that sometime in the next two years Ferrell fans will be treated with another round of Burgundy.
By
Russ Fischer
on February 29, 2008 9:55 AM|Permalink
Release Date: Feb. 29 Director: Kent Alterman Writer: Scot Armstrong Cinematographer: Shane Hurlbut Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, André Benjamin Studio/Run Time: New Line Cinema, 90 mins.
The best way to decide whether Will Ferrell's latest vehicle (for his chest hair, of course) might be worth your time is to peruse the following list. These are things the film finds uproariously funny, especially in combination; those who disagree will likely find the movie barely more appealing than pet vomit. Here goes: the '70s, afros, white guys with afros, goofy names, vintage clothes, bears, giant cardboard checks, men shouting, priests who referee sports, sports being played badly, the words "fuck" and "cock."
This outing tells the story of Jackie Moon (Ferrell) and his Flint, Mich. Tropics, an American Basketball Association team that faces dissolution when the league merges with the NBA. Jackie's a huckster and buffoon, but not much of a basketball player. He recruits the washed-up Monix (Woody Harrelson) to bolster a lineup with only one strength, the showboating Clarence 'Coffee' Black (André Benjamin).
Semi-Pro is very proudly R-rated, so for some there might be a thrill to watching this cast curse loudly and generally act like jerks, but haven't we been down that road before? With the rating's leeway, Ferrell & Co. often just go for the easy dick joke instead of reaching for the bizarre and subversive heights of Anchorman.
Will Arnett and Andrew Daly light up their scenes as a drunk commentator and his straight-laced professional partner respectively. And there is one fantastically funny scene involving Rob Corddry and voyeurism, but it would be a crime to spoil that one.
Otherwise, the movie is a mix of sloppy timing and jokes predicated on the delivery that made Anchorman's "scotchy, scotch, scotch line" quotable for precisely 30 seconds. Semi-Pro is a broadly recycled piece of garbage that would be funnier if it didn't repeat the same material that brought success to its predecessors. Maura Tierney often looks truly embarrassed to be caught up in this third-stringer, but she's not the one that should be feeling the flush of shame. That's reserved for Ferrell, who has been and still might be so much better than this.
By
Mark Krotov
on January 30, 2008 12:00 AM|Permalink
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Here at Paste, we're not in the business of validating clichés, but we are more than happy to let the above picture speak for itself.
All right, fine; we’ll give you a little more. The picture illustrates the camaraderie between Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who are starring in Step Brothers as Brennan Huff and Dale Doback. It’s the pairs’ first outing together since an obscure, independent film that you probably didn't see called Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Talladega’s director, Adam McKay, is back for Step Brothers, which also stars Mary Steenburgen as Brennan’s mother, Nancy, and Richard Jenkins as Dale’s father, Robert.
What hijinx and capers and tomfoolery are in store? Here’s the official plot summary: “When Robert and Nancy marry and move in together, Brennan and Dale are forced to live with each other as step brothers. As their narcissism and downright aggressive laziness threaten to tear the family apart, these two middle-aged, immature, overgrown boys will orchestrate an insane, elaborate plan to bring their parents back together. To pull it off, they must form an unlikely bond that maybe, just maybe, will finally get them out of the house.”
The greatest film ever made? Perhaps. For a behind-the-scenes look at all the potential genius, click here. Step Brothers hits theaters on July 25.
By
Sean Gandert
on December 11, 2007 1:26 PM|Permalink
To support his upcoming feature Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell is heading out on a stand-up comedy tour. He's not alone either, as the tour will also feature Zach Galifianakis, Demetri Martin and Nick Swardson, which for stand-up fans may actually be the bigger draw. The tour is sponsored by Ferrell's company, FunnyOrDie.com, and as a promotion the tour will also allow comedians who've submitted a video to the site to be featured on arena screens during the tour, as well as placement on the Semi-Pro website.
Tour dates:
February 4 - Manhattan, Kan. @ Bramlage Coliseum (Kansas State University) 5 - East Lansing, Mich. @ Jack Breslin Student Events Center (Michigan State University) 6 - Columbus, Ohio @ Jerome Schottenstein Center (Ohio State University) 11 - University Park, Pa. @ Bryce Jordan Center (Penn State University) 12 - Kingston, R.I. @ The Ryan Center (University of Rhode Island) 13 - Chesnut Hill, Mass. @ Conte Forum (Boston College) 22 - Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Dean Edwards Smith Center (University of North Carolina)
By
Sean Gandert
on October 10, 2007 12:37 PM|Permalink
After only a few years in production limbo, Universal is finally pushing Land of the Lost out the door. Despite its flop just a few months ago with the epically underwhelming Evan Almighty, the studio is ready to undertake another overly expensive comedy with a $100 million budget, pushed down from $125 million, and a brand-name star, Will Ferrell.
Land of the Lost is an adaptation of the 1970s television show, centering on a disgraced paleontologist and his wacky adventures with dinosaurs. Well, that could be interesting, and a nice counterpart to the dinosaurs-with-guns project that Jurassic Park 4 seems to be heading towards. But it's also a bit frightening, since the last time Ferrell helmed a broad-studio comedy, the result was Bewitched. Audiences are advised to anticipate Land of the Lost with cautious optimism and to keep the next Adam McKay/Ferrell production, Step Brothers, in mind as well.
We're bringing you some of the artists we think are the best of what's next. Featuring selections from Slow Runner, Janelle Monae, The Spring Standards and more!
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Release Date: July 25
