– kin to Jean-Pierre Léaud on this point – playing aįather with kids in a film) is why Ferrell can perfectly understand andĭialogue with the nonsensical, babbling admonitions of a tiny child in the This enduring childishness (it is difficult to imagine Ferrell himself The traumas of his relations with stern parental figures (like the long-absent,Įrrant father whose crippling mantra is “If you’re not first, you’re last!” –Īnd who pairs his son with a wild cougar in his car so that he can “face hisįear”). Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), for instance – he is fixed within

When he is an obviously adult hero – in Talladega

Whining and complaining, his seeking to centre all attention on himself. Straight to the camera, rather than with fellow performers), his constant Sets the stage for Ferrell’s screen persona: his exhibitionism (so many “lookĪt me!” scenes), his narcissism (often appearing more to act into a mirror, or Him out of teen comedies while simultaneously launching him as the arrestedĪdolescent, forever trying to recapture his former, lawless youth. Of the best) in the development of Ferrell’s career was Old School (2003), which levered To the world we live in”, like in a Nicholas Ray movie. This level – to the extent that we might well wonder how old he really is? (Inįact, he’s 42 this year, 2009.) Like Jerry Lewis, Ferrell lingers long in an unsocialised, pre-adult realm. Is there any current comedian who so completely confuses us on The American actor Will Ferrell is notable, firstly, for hisĪgelessness – or rather, his insistent dwelling in childhood, pre-pubescent andĪdolescent ages. Wild-child in a grown-up body in Elf (2003). Quintessentially, an innocent, uninhibited An eternal dependent son in WeddingĬrashers (2005) – repeatedly yelling “Mom!” – and in Step Brothers (2008). Teenage schoolboy in Superstar (1999), one of the best films toĮmerge from the Saturday Night Live school.

A night at the roxbury insomnia