ROTTEN TOMATOES: Total Recall: Will Ferrell's Best Movies Comments

Total Recall: Will Ferrell's Best Movies

by Jeff Giles | June 04, 2009

Summary

The list of Saturday Night Live cast members who have made us laugh is long -- but the number of SNL vets who have managed to make a successful go of it on the big screen, especially over the long term, is much smaller. With over a billion dollars in global box office receipts to his name -- a total that will expand when Land of the Lost stomps into theaters this weekend -- it's safe to say Will Ferrell is part of that exclusive group, and in honor of his achievements, we've decided to dedicate this week's Total Recall to his 10 best-reviewed movies. iven his reputation for appearing in dim-bulb comedies, the amount of critical affection Ferrell has earned during his career may surprise you; in fact, nine of the 10 movies on our list have landed at 60 percent or better on the Tomatometer. Back to Article

(1-51 of 51 posts) | Reply

Bigbrother writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:26 PM

Can't believe Blades of Glory got better reviews than Anchorman. Jon Heder must have a more loyal following than one would expect.

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WallEField writes:
on Jun 03 2009 06:43 PM

As far as I'm concerned Stranger Than Fiction dwarfs (haha) Elf by a longshot. Will Ferrell just seems so much better at the dramedy than he ever was at pure comedy. Harold Crick is a far more interesting character than any of the random nobodies who take their shirts off and yell loudly, like those he usually plays.

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International Bulletproof Talent B. writes:
on Jun 03 2009 07:07 PM

What the *****??? Is Elf really considered a better movie than Stranger than fiction?! That's pretty sad.

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Bigbrother writes:
on Jun 03 2009 07:56 PM

Probably not better, but you've stumbled onto one of the inherent flaws of the tomatometer. It rewards stuff that's inoffensive on these lists rather than stuff that's in any way controversial or non-family friendly.

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scifimark writes:
on Jun 03 2009 08:23 PM

Stranger than fiction is one of my favorite movies. Elf was average at best

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scifimark writes:
on Jun 03 2009 08:27 PM

i would put stranger than fiction,old school, anchorman 1,2,3. At least me personally.

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tomwaitsjr writes:
on Jun 03 2009 08:54 PM

Stranger than fiction is his best.

I HATED Blades of Glory.

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GreenBastard writes:
on Jun 03 2009 09:32 PM

Elf! WTF

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Jun 03 2009 10:10 PM

"Anchorman", "Talladega Nights", and "Zoolander" are TOTAL guilty pleasures. Hell, 5 years later I'm still quoting "Anchorman". "Land of the Lost" looks like one of the worst movies ever made.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Jun 03 2009 10:32 PM

In reply to this comment (#2524416)
And "old School" is pretty funny. "Elf" is okay, some of it was great, a lot was sappy.

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Hamboner writes:
on Jun 03 2009 11:15 PM

His song and dance in The Ladies Man was pure classic. I love this guy, even though he is hurting to do something good again.

Anchorman is my favorite film with Ferrel... I really don't need to think to enjoy a film. School is for thinking, movies are for laughing. And explosions.

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John Mclane writes:
on Jun 03 2009 11:34 PM

the producers is not there? I'm not a big Ferrel fan but he was hilarious in the producers.

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Smartest Person Here writes:
on Jun 04 2009 04:41 AM

God, this should be a real short list. Talk about someone who is over-rated...

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JaredHoffman writes:
on Jun 04 2009 06:45 AM

I'm really not a big fan of Will Ferrell, but I have to say that of all his movies Stranger than Fiction is the best.

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Poor_Frisco writes:
on Jun 04 2009 09:42 AM

I HATED talladega nights i do no understand the praise for that film at all. Ferrell is far from flawless but his childish idiot character is more likable in just about all of his movies over Ricky Bobby.

Stranger than fiction is clearly his best role and Anchorman his best straight comedy.

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SuckitBaby writes:
on Jun 04 2009 11:38 AM

Land of the Lost looks like pure ****e!

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arendr writes:
on Jun 04 2009 12:11 PM

Talladega Nights is one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

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ledawg1138 writes:
on Jun 04 2009 01:20 PM

In reply to this comment (#2524620)
Oh...well I liked it.

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manwithoutfearnt writes:
on Jun 04 2009 01:30 PM

holy god, anchorman was better than all of these, except for stranger than fiction. Elf sucked balls.

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The Great One writes:
on Jun 04 2009 01:54 PM

Man do I hate Talladega Nights. Way too long and unfunny for its own good.

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Alexcar writes:
on Jun 04 2009 02:12 PM

Everyone on this site is just so snooty, uptight and elitist. Sure, by definition, Will Ferrell movies are not "good", but there's plenty to enjoy in them.

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Alexcar writes:
on Jun 04 2009 02:15 PM

And oh yeah, smoke a bowl, get over yourselves, and give a couple of these movies another chance. I promise you will get over yourself and hate life much less :-P

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Ryan M. writes:
on Jun 04 2009 03:50 PM

WHAT ABOUT NIGHT AT THE ROXBURYYYYY!!!!?!?!?

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Blastik2 writes:
on Jun 04 2009 03:57 PM

Anchorman is, by far, the best Will Ferrell movie. Blades Of Glory and Talladega Nights shouldn't even be near the top ten!

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JRW1980 writes:
on Jun 04 2009 04:30 PM

I personally thought Blades of Glory and Zoolander were hilarious. Old School wasn't half bad. Step Brothers was okay. I didn't find Anchorman, TN or Dick funny at all. Elf just plain sucked through and through.

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Dustin M. writes:
on Jun 05 2009 11:45 AM

I don't feel it should have gone by best/highest rated film, it should have been his funniest movies or something.

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ironchefchopchop writes:
on Jun 05 2009 12:50 PM

these tomato meter lists never turn out good

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Brad S. writes:
on Jun 05 2009 12:57 PM

Man, this list is backwards if anything. Mind you, Elf was a good movie. Anchorman, by far is Ferrell's best and funniest movie. Hands down. IMO

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BigBoy writes:
on Jun 05 2009 01:17 PM

Lovin' the LOST ;)

Critics can be wrong you know.

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Duckett H. writes:
on Jun 05 2009 03:50 PM

Talladega Nights and Stranger Than Fiction reign supreme.

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ika5263 writes:
on Jun 05 2009 04:15 PM

blades of glory and elf tie for first, with talladega nights a (very) close second.

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Alexander B. writes:
on Jun 06 2009 09:53 AM

Anchorman is easily his best film and one of the funniest films ever made

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toats m. writes:
on Jun 06 2009 01:00 PM

yeah you people are wrong anchorman is by far his best film and in my opinion the most quotable and funniest movie ever made then taladegga nights then elf then step brothers

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Zak M. writes:
on Jun 06 2009 03:33 PM

In reply to this comment (#2511156)
Are you an idiot?

The purpose of these lists is to rank the actor's movies by RATING, not by which one the writer likes the most.

Or did you think that the movies were in order of rating by coincidence?

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whitebare7 writes:
on Jun 06 2009 03:59 PM

as far as ferrell purists go, everyone is going to call anchorman the best. i think the one that is seriously underrated is my favorite, Step Brothers. So many good parts in this movie/good things to quote. the whole seen leading up to the drum set incident is hilarious.

Why are you all sweaty?
B/c I was watching cops.

classic.

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Pagliacci writes:
on Jun 06 2009 07:03 PM

Step Brothers should be #1. "Hello *****ers, welcome to the neighborhood. My name's Craig. I got plenty of fertilizer out back if you need some."

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Alison D. writes:
on Jun 06 2009 07:26 PM

So glad to see Stranger Than Fiction at number 2. That is a fantastic film - Will Ferrell and Dustin Hoffman are a good team. Sort of bummed that Melinda and Melinda didn't make the list. Ferrell is a great stand in for Woody Allen.

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Mike P. writes:
on Jun 07 2009 06:03 AM

I thought ELF was awful. Old School will always be my favorite.

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Mike P. writes:
on Jun 07 2009 06:06 AM

By the way, I love RT, have for years. However, I try not to let it influence my decision on whether I see a movie or not. Many of the reviewers used on RT are people who just have a web site without any real credentials. But I do love RT just the same.

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toats m. writes:
on Jun 07 2009 09:47 AM

they should make polls so we can vote for them and which ever is voted the most is his best and so on and so on

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whitebare7 writes:
on Jun 07 2009 04:36 PM

In reply to this comment (#2511317)
"cream of the crop" limits the reviews.

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Almost.Famous writes:
on Jun 07 2009 10:21 PM

i hated tallladega nights. Step brothers was my favorite.

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Will H. writes:
on Jun 08 2009 01:26 AM

Unfortunately this Total Recall does again prove that the RT rating system is never accurate! Anchorman and Old School are by far the most successfull movies made (DVD sales are the most accurate way of showing this) yet they come in low down.

Anchorman, Old School and Zoolander are kings (in that order)

None of the other films compare although some are ok

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gocaps99 writes:
on Jun 08 2009 08:00 AM

In reply to this comment (#2511156)
Agreed. List is completely backwards. Zoolander, Anchorman, etc are much better than Elf was. I liked Stranger than Fiction but when you think of a "Will Ferrall" movie that's not one you think of right away.

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pillowfight writes:
on Jun 08 2009 03:36 PM

In reply to this comment (#2511271)
Only thing about the tomatometer is it has no way in factoring the test of time, more recent films seem to do better.

I think A Night at the Roxbury should definitely be included in his 10 best films. His character in The Ladies Man is also worthy of top 10 potential. Especially for 'Will Ferrel' films.

I wouldn't argue with Elf being the best, while it wouldn't be my top overall choice. The top 3 Will Ferrel films of all time ARE Anchorman, Elf & Stranger than Fiction, no matter the order you yourself would put them in is it not agreeable those would be the consensus top 3?

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john m. writes:
on Jun 09 2009 12:10 AM

Yep Anchorman is number one. When Baxter got the boot I nearly pissed myself in the theater.

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Jon Q. writes:
on Jun 09 2009 07:01 AM

talladega nights is and always will be Will Ferrell's best movie.. Anchorman is a very close second, but if you aint first your last haha

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Joe L. writes:
on Jun 09 2009 04:45 PM

elf is assey

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Jeremy M. writes:
on Jun 09 2009 05:03 PM

Old School is definitely his best.

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anton s. writes:
on Jun 16 2009 09:26 PM

i like most will ferrel movies...i dont think the rating is right....but i luv the land of the lost...absolutely hilarious....

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LillyVon writes:
on Jun 17 2009 02:52 AM

Anchorman should be number one - by miles - then followed by Elf.

(Reply to this)

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