Movie Column: What's The Deal With Will Ferrell?

(andPOP) - What?s the deal with Will Ferrell?

I mean, I know he?s popular but I had no idea how popular he really is.

You probably haven?t fully reflected on just how popular he really is either, so let me tell you.

In the month of October, Will Ferrell stars in three different movies being released on DVD.

He will be in a total of six movies this year, starring in three of them, and having strong supporting roles in the other ones.

So why then don?t any of his films get good reviews?
Of the three that come out on DVD this month, reviewers panned three.

Everyone agrees that Old School was hilarious, and he was one of the prime reasons why it was so funny.

Most people agree that Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was good too.

And his sketch comedy on Saturday Night Live is beyond reproach.

So why then don?t any of his films get good reviews?

My theory is that Ferrell is funny for three or four minutes at a time, but when forced to be funny and entertaining for a whole movie, his comedic style fades quickly.

Moreover, in the movies he stars in, the director is too reliant on Ferrell to keep the movie moving and keep it funny.

In Elf, and Anchorman, and Kicking & Screaming, it?s basically just him onscreen for two hours.

So about an hour into each of these movies, you find yourself asking yourself, ?Didn?t he just make a joke like that 25 minutes ago??

The best films for Ferrell seem to be those ones where he?s not at the center of attention.

In SNL skits, he was on camera for relatively short periods of time and was playing off other equally funny comedians.

In Old School he was crazy funny man while Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn kept the plot moving.

In Austin Powers, Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, and Wedding Crashers, Ferrell is onscreen briefly.

In each case, he?s hilarious for those four or five minutes he?s onscreen.

The future looks good for Ferrell.

We can look forward to five more movies featuring Ferrell by the end of 2006, including his voice talents as the Man in the Yellow Hat for an animated version of Curious George.

The one I?m most looking forward to has to be Joan of Bark: the Dog That Saved France.

I swear I?m not making it up, and while it?s still in pre-production, apparently Ferrell is starring in this satire, which is written and directed by David Mament.

If it ever gets made, I?ll be only too excited to see it.
If you want to see something good with Ferrell in it, rent Melinda & Melinda, which comes out this Tuesday.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, it?s more than a bit pretentious in parts and definitely not his best work, but it?s fun.

The premise is that the same basic story can either be comedic or tragic depending on your outlook and then Allen proceeds to cut between Melinda in a romantic comedy and Melinda in a romantic tragedy.