Will Ferrell is one of the most popular comedic actors of his generation, and he has created plenty of memorable characters throughout his career. After breaking through on Saturday Night Live with his impressions and original characters, Ferrell quickly established himself as one of the funniest leading men in Hollywood, but he has also popped up occasionally in supporting roles.
Will Ferrell’s best movies include some of the funniest comedy movies of the 21st century. He has worked with Adam McKay and Judd Apatow multiple times, making several highly quotable comedies that are just as hilarious years later. Ferrell is a master of physical comedy, but he also has the ability to turn unremarkable lines into comedy gold. His best characters show his range as a comedic performer, and the many ways he can draw a laugh out of his audience,
Related Will Ferrell Sets First Scripted Comedy Series Ever With New Netflix Show Golf
Will Ferrell is set to star in his first comedy TV series, with Netflix announcing that the comedic actor will headline and executive produce Golf.
10 Mustafa
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) & Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
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Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery Where to Watch
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Director Jay Roach Release Date May 2, 1997 Cast Mike Myers , Elizabeth Hurley , Michael York , Mimi Rogers , Robert Wagner , Seth Green , Fabiana Udenio , Mindy Sterling
Mustafa was one of Will Ferrell’s first movie characters, just a couple of years after he burst onto the national stage with his appearances on Saturday Night Live. Although the Austin Powers movies are mostly a showcase for Mike Myers, since he plays so many characters, there are a few outstanding supporting actors who can steal a scene or two. Verne Troyer and Seth Green get plenty of laughs, as does Will Ferrell.
Mustafa’s death is one of the funniest moments in
Austin Powers,
so Ferrell returned for another brief scene in
The Spy Who Shagged Me.
Mustafa is an assassin working for Dr. Evil’s who is punished for his inability to kill Austin Powers. Somehow, he survives the off-screen burning, leading to a long and awkward pause while Dr. Evil waits for his tortured screams to die down so he can continue his meeting. Mustafa’s death is one of the funniest moments in Austin Powers, so Ferrell returned for another brief scene in The Spy Who Shagged Me.
9 Megamind
Megamind (2010)
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Megamind Where to Watch
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Director Tom McGrath Release Date November 11, 2010 Cast Will Ferrell , Ben Stiller , Brad Pitt , Jonah Hill
Megamind received mixed reviews when it was first released, with some critics suggesting that it was derivative of other animated movies. Since then, it has steadily developed its own reputation. It may have elements of Despicable Me and The Incredibles, but Megamind should still be appreciated for its animated action sequences and some great jokes. Even with some mediocre reviews, Will Ferrell’s performance was widely praised at the time.
Will Ferrell faced a difficult challenge with
Megamind,
since a lot of his comedy uses his physicality and his knack for hilarious facial expressions.
Will Ferrell faced a difficult challenge with Megamind, since a lot of his comedy uses his physicality and his knack for hilarious facial expressions. Megamind is still a great character without either. He’s an insecure supervillain who feels like he has to be bad because society has shunned him, but he seems happiest when squabbling with his ineffectual sidekick or trying to do good for once. Ferrell didn’t return for the Megamind sequel which came out in March 2024, although the terrible reviews suggest he made the right call.
8 Detective Allen Gamble
The Other Guys (2010)
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The Other Guys Where to Watch
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Director Adam McKay Release Date August 5, 2010 Cast Will Ferrell , Mark Wahlberg , Adam McKay , Eva Mendes , Samuel L. Jackson , Michael Keaton
Will Ferrell has had some great comedy partners throughout his career, and Mark Wahlberg is probably the most surprising of these. Although they aren’t the most obvious comedic duo, Ferrell and Wahlberg get a lot of laughs in The Other Guys. The buddy cop comedy follows two unremarkable officers who have to step up when the department’s two action-hero icons inexplicably jump off of a building.
Although they aren’t the most obvious comedic duo, Ferrell and Wahlberg get a lot of laughs in
The Other Guys.
Detective Allen Gamble initially seems like an ineffectual rube, the kind of person who can be tricked by his colleagues into firing off his gun while sitting at his desk. This is funny, but a one-note joke might have run out of steam before too long. Instead, Allen packs a few surprises. There’s the fact that he has some jaw-dropping driving skills, the fact that he covers over his partner’s flaws, and, funniest of all, the fact that he’s married to Eva Mendes, and he seems to resent her.
7 Mattel CEO
Barbie (2023)
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Barbie Where to Watch
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Director Greta Gerwig Release Date July 21, 2023 Cast Margot Robbie , Ryan Gosling , Simu Liu , Ariana Greenblatt , Helen Mirren , Nicola Coughlan , John Cena , Will Ferrell , Ritu Arya , Michael Cera , America Ferrera , Alexandra Shipp , Kate McKinnon
Will Ferrell was one of the more surprising additions to the cast of Barbie, but his character quickly stands out. Ferrell plays the CEO of Mattel, one of the men who tries to package Barbie so that she can be remanufactured to eradicate her independent thoughts. Although he doesn’t have a huge role, the Mattel CEO has some of the funniest scenes in Barbie, like the calamitous chase through Mattel’s offices.
Although he doesn’t have a huge role, the Mattel CEO has some of the funniest scenes in
Barbie,
like the calamitous chase through Mattel’s offices
.
In Barbie’s critique of the patriarchy, the Mattel CEO represents faceless corporations who pay lip service to the cause of gender equality while really doing nothing to threaten their profits. Will Ferrell’s character in Barbie is oddly reminiscent of Lord Business, the villain he plays in The Lego Movie. Both characters are villains who try to put misbehaving toys back in their place, but the Mattel CEO has the funnier quotes.
6 Jacobim Mugatu
Zoolander (2001) & Zoolander 2 (2016)
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Zoolander Where to Watch
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Director Ben Stiller Release Date September 28, 2001 Cast Owen Wilson , Ben Stiller , Milla Jovovich , Christine Taylor , Will Ferrell
Mugatu, formerly known as Jacob Moogberg, is the flamboyant fashion designer who hatches a plan to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Will Ferrell lets his comedic rage loose in Zoolander, but Mugatu’s pampered nature makes his anger look like the overblown tantrums of a spoiled brat. Mugatu leans into the eccentricities of his evil persona, and he has all the subtlety of a pantomime villain. The only person too stupid to see his evil intentions is Derek Zoolander.
Will Ferrell lets his comedic rage loose in
Zoolander,
but Mugatu’s pampered nature makes his anger look like the overblown tantrums of a spoiled brat.
While Mugatu is a ridiculous character, he is sometimes funniest when he is doing very little. Ferrell is savvy enough to understand that by sitting perfectly still, trying to maintain Mugatu’s stylish composure, he can make his absurd outfits and hairstyle even more hilarious. Mugatu vacillates between these two extremes of cartoonish rage and straight-faced calmness. Part of the reason why Zoolander 2 wasn’t as successful as the first movie is that it couldn’t get the most out of Mugatu.
5 Brennan Huff
Step Brothers (2008)
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Step Brothers Where to Watch
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Director Adam McKay Release Date July 25, 2008 Cast Adam McKay , Will Ferrell , John C. Reilly , Adam Scott , Richard Jenkins
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have worked together a few times, and Step Brothers gives them the freedom to run wild. Although there are plenty of great gags in the script, the movie also allowed the two actors to improvise on set, and it’s a joy to watch them clowning around as two stepbrothers who start off hating each other before becoming best friends.
He’s an overgrown man-child whose fragile self-importance is threatened by the introduction of his stepbrother.
Brennan Huff is a relatively simplistic character for Ferrell, but he plays him well. He’s an overgrown man-child whose fragile self-importance is threatened by the introduction of his stepbrother. Ultimately, the duo find a way to bring the worst out of each other, cooking up awful business schemes and crashing a yacht. Brennan’s musical talent, or lack thereof, is another hint about his delusions of grandeur, and it sets up the hilarious musical performance at the Catalina Wine Mixer.
4 Buddy
Elf (2003)
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Elf Where to Watch
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Director Jon Favreau Release Date November 7, 2003 Cast Will Ferrell , Zooey Deschanel , James Caan , Mary Steenburgen , Edward Asner , Bob Newhart , Daniel Tay
Elf still holds up as a Christmas classic over 20 years later, and Will Ferrell’s performance is a big reason why. Elf follows a simple premise – one of Santa’s elves leaves the North Pole and travels to New York City – but simplicity is often key in Christmas movies. Elf delivers plenty of holiday cheer without neglecting its comedic premise. There are plenty of fun-and-games with Buddy’s visit to the big city before the emotional finale.
Elf
delivers plenty of holiday cheer without neglecting its comedic premise. There are plenty of fun-and-games with Buddy’s visit to the big city before the emotional finale.
Buddy gets more than his fair share of Elf’s funniest quotes, and this has a lot to do with the fact that Will Ferrell can turn ordinary lines into hilarious gags. Buddy’s childlike glee never seems to wear out, and it infects the other characters as well as the audience. Although Buddy does have the emotional capacity of a child, and the real-world experience of a man who grew up in a stop-motion fairy tale where he eats candy for three meals a day, there’s more to his character.
3 Chazz Michael Michaels
Blades of Glory (2007)
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Blades of Glory
Director Josh Gordon , Will Speck Release Date March 30, 2007 Cast Will Ferrell , Jon Heder , Will Arnett , Amy Poehler , Jenna Fischer , William Fichtner , Craig T. Nelson , Romany Malco
Chazz Michael Michaels is the bad boy of competitive figure skating. In a sport that’s all about grace and poise, he is a freewheeling renegade who plays by his own rules. This makes him the worst possible partner for Jimmy MacElroy, and Ferrell’s dynamic with Jon Heder is comedy gold. The skating duo aren’t helped by the fact that their coach wants them to pull off a maneuver that could be fatal.
Blades of Glory
treats ice skating with the utmost reverence, and Chazz believes his own hype as some kind of legendary athlete.
Will Ferrell plays Chazz’s pompous arrogance perfectly. Blades of Glory treats ice skating with the utmost reverence, and Chazz believes his own hype as some kind of legendary athlete. This means that he often tries to push Jimmy around, and it’s no coincidence that he has the male role in their figure skating pair. His fragile masculinity wouldn’t allow him to do otherwise, although he does eventually soften.
2 Ricky Bobby
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Where to Watch
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Director Adam McKay Release Date August 4, 2006 Cast Will Ferrell , John C. Reilly , Sacha Baron Cohen , Gary Cole , Michael Clarke Duncan , Leslie Bibb , Jane Lynch , Amy Adams
Talladega Nights is another one of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly’s hilarious collaborations, with Reilly’s character playing second fiddle to the NASCAR star Ricky Bobby. Most sports movies chart the road to victory, but Ricky Bobby starts out as number one, and utterly unable to think of himself as anything less. As his motto goes: “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
Most sports movies chart the road to victory, but Ricky Bobby starts out as number one, and utterly unable to think of himself as anything less.
Ricky Bobby has all the arrogance of Blades of Glory’s Chazz Michael Michaels, but he is somehow even less intelligent. This gives Ferrell a lot of great deadpan moments when he says something implausible and ridiculous with a completely straight face. Ricky Bobby’s emotional journey also sends him to some weird places far outside his comfort zone. The scene in which Ricky goes for a near-nude run around the racetrack is one of Ferrell’s funniest moments of all.
1 Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) & Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
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Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Where to Watch
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Director Adam McKay Release Date July 9, 2004 Cast Will Ferrell , Christina Applegate , Paul Rudd , Steve Carell , David Koechner , Fred Willard
Ron Burgundy is one of the greatest comedy creations of the 2000s, and Will Ferrell’s funniest character is still hilarious two decades later. Anchorman is about the dissonance between the glamorous appeal of celebrities and the vacuous reality. Ron Burgundy considers himself to be an iconoclast, an important voice in journalism and an ace jazz flautist. In reality, he is a privileged wannabe surrounded by sycophants who stroke his ego.
Anchorman
’s funniest moments play to Will Ferrell’s strengths. He has plenty of great quotes to tear through, but he also gets to showcase his physical humor.
Anchorman’s funniest moments play to Will Ferrell’s strengths. He has plenty of great quotes to tear through, but he also gets to showcase his physical humor. Anchorman also surrounds him with a brilliant cast, and they work together brilliantly. Even though Anchorman 2 doesn’t hit the same heights as the original, Ron Burgundy still has plenty of side-splitting moments, proving that he can get laughs at any time.