The Screengrab : anchorman

April Fools: The 35 Funniest Movie Characters Of All Time (Part Three)

Andrew Osborne — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:00:00 GMT

WILL FERRELL AS RICKY BOBBY IN TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (2006)

Will Ferrell’s Anchorman may be more absurd, but Talladega Nights is still the SNL alum’s greatest big-screen achievement to date, a NASCAR-set bit of lunacy that mocks American culture while simultaneously exhibiting fondness for it. Via the character of Ricky Bobby, a nitwit car-racing star, Ferrell manages to send up our national gluttony and materialism, as well as Southern political and social conservatism, with a no-holds-barred goofiness that’s nonetheless underscored by affection for his redneck milieu and its inhabitants. To keep things evenhanded, Sacha Baron Cohen’s aggressively homosexual French F-1 champ Jean Girard provides a hilarious caricature of liberalism. It’s Ferrell’s titular clown, however, that truly embodies the film’s fair-minded attitude, his Ricky Bobby an egotistical good ol’ boy whose jingoism is as inane as his predilection for saying grace to the baby Jesus – an extended bit that gets funnier with every subsequent viewing – and yet whose me-first ridiculousness is laced with a childish kindness that makes him both an embarrassing and endearing personification of 21st century southern America. (NS)

CHEVY CHASE AS CLARK GRISWOLD IN CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)

While the original remains the most popular, and European Vacation is probably the funniest, the Vacation series’ most heartwarming entry was 1989’s Yuletide saga, in large part because its holiday setting provided Chevy Chase with the best opportunities to convey not only Clark Griswold’s buffoonery, but to root that silliness in his deep, abiding love of family and tradition. In this second sequel, Clark’s homestead is invaded by parents, in-laws and the clan of Cousin Eddy (Randy Quaid), and this raft of supporting players – which also comes to include the Griswold’s prissy Yuppie neighbors (Nicholas Guest and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) – helps take some of the comedic burden off of Chase. Despite surrounding him with talented co-stars, however, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’s spotlight nonetheless remains squarely on its headliner, whose pratfall skills are in fine form, and whose sympathetic embodiment of his well-intentioned doofus patriarch – aggravated by his kin, disappointed over not receiving the work bonus he was counting on, and tormented by a squirrel let loose in his abode – lends the manic, messy proceedings real warmth. (NS)

PAUL REUBENS AS PEE-WEE HERMAN IN PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (1985)

Too much fun in a porn theater may have destroyed Paul Reubens' career – and, consequently, the life of his iconic Pee-Wee Herman character – but his 1985 big-screen debut, helmed by first-time director Tim Burton, stands up as a perfectly realized idiosyncratic original. In this fanciful, carnival-esque saga, Reubens' strange-talking man-child Pee-Wee embarks on a cross-country odyssey to recover his beloved red bike, which he believes was stolen by his rich, spoiled, nasty neighbor Francis (Mark Holton). Even on his first feature, Burton’s flair for crafting strange, wild, wondrous visions was in full effect, as was Danny Elfman’s aptitude for offbeat scores. Nonetheless, it’s Pee-Wee who cements his place in the film-comedy pantheon. From the colorful, gadgety confines of his home (where he chows down on some Mr. T breakfast cereal), to the Alamo (whose basement he foolishly hopes to investigate), to a roadside bar where he famously displays his dance moves while surrounded by a horde of nasty-looking bikers, Pee-Wee proves himself a one-of-a-kind weirdo whose irrepressible cheer is infectious, and whose childlike innocence is endearing. (NS)

ALBERT BROOKS AS ALBERT BROOKS IN REAL LIFE (1979)

Albert Brooks has built a career – and a pretty fine one, if you ask us – out of portraying himself as a complete jerkoff. Even when he’s not playing a fictional character who’s kind of a schmuck, he’s kind of a schmuck: the “Albert Brooks” he plays in his films is a rampaging egomaniac who’s completely oblivious to how he comes across to people. Nowhere is this better realized than in his first full-length feature as a writer and director, 1979’s Real Life. This criminally underseen comedy, which brilliantly anticipates the reality-TV craze of 20 years later, sees Brooks playing himself as a desperate-to-please filmmaker who decides to film a normal, average American family; the comedy lies in the fact that he quickly assesses that the moviegoing public will be bored stiff by normality and averageness, and immediately sets about interfering with their lives for entertainment value. Unsurprisingly, this ruins the experiment, and starts to ruin the family’s life as well – but right up until the very end (where he hits upon the brilliant idea of burning their house down in order to provide his disastrous movie with a suitably exciting ending), Brooks is completely blind to the fact that the only thing wrong with his movie is that he’s the one making it. “Albert Brooks”, as portrayed by Albert Brooks, is so fine a portrait of a self-absorbed Hollywood phony it must have made Robert Evans blush.

CHICO MARX AS BARAVELLI IN HORSE FEATHERS (1932)

Although we’ve chosen his role as Baravelli in the campus comedy Horse Feathers as representative, it’s really just a stand-in for any Chico Marx performance. In the Marx Brothers’ films, Groucho’s role was to be the anarchist, the fly in the ointment, the wild card who refused to play by society’s rules and hilariously wrecks the smooth running order of things; Chico’s role was to do the same thing – only to Groucho. Often stereotyped as the dimwitted punster, Chico’s roles went far deeper than that: he was a true comic foil to his younger brother, reminding him that he couldn’t always win, that there was always someone there who could outhustle even the great Groucho – even if it was by playing dumb. Groucho was the subversive riddle that brought down authority, and Harpo was the dynamite bomb thrown right in the middle of the room, but Chico was a Chinese finger puzzle: it looked so simple, but once you were caught in it, no matter how smart you were, you couldn’t get out. Nowhere is that more clear than in the famous “Tutti Frutti” scene in Horse Feathers, where a supremely confident Chico prevents a slow-burning Groucho from betting on the horse he wants to win. It’s one of the greatest examples of pure comic timing ever captured on film.

Click Here For Part One, Two, Four, Five, Six, Seven & Eight

Contributors: Nick Schager, Leonard Pierce

Five Films for a Super Bowl Hangover

Nick Schager — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

The big one is over. Steelers fans are euphoric. Cardinals fans are dejected. And both sets of sports fanatics (as well as legions of others) are spending today suffering through some serious postgame, post-booze illness. While the country's refusal to consider today a national holiday has forced most to trudge to work nursing one mother of a headache and/or upset stomach, those fortunate enough (or sick enough) to be home are likely in need of some medicine, and at The Screengrab, we aim to please. Herewith, five films that'll help soothe that Super Bowl morning-after malaise.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

For a fuzzy psyche, nothing quite goes down as smoothly as some inspired idiocy, and few recent comedies have delivered the absurdist goods as hilariously as Will Ferrell’s ode to ‘70s sexism, bad hair and bear-fighting. “Milk was a bad choice!” says Ron; Anchorman is an ideal hangover balm, says I.

Overboard

There are few things to outright love about this 1987 Goldie Hawn-Kurt Russell comedy, but like a pop song that gets under your skin after the 800th spin, repeated childhood viewings (thanks, New York’s WPIX!) confirmed that this rich-meets-poor trifle is something akin to a cinematic lullaby. Turn it on, and turn yourself off.

The Last Boy Scout

Action-movie cacophony isn’t exactly what a pounding head demands, but Tony Scott’s 1991 gem is so over-the-top ludicrous that one’s laughter usually drowns out the gunfire and explosions. Written by Lethal Weapon scribe Shane Black in an apparent aim to include every genre cliché known to man, it’s like taking a goofy 2-hour class in ‘80s slam-bang cinema.

Point Break

One-upping even The Last Boy Scout, which came out the same year, Kathryn Bigelow’s saga about undercover feds, surfing gurus and president mask-donning bank robbers is the apex of over-the-top action cinema, both for its abject ridiculousness and the fact that said silliness doesn’t hinder the film from delivering thrilling, expertly orchestrated set pieces. It’s two hours your weary, alcohol-addled brain will thank you for.

The Foot Fist Way

A slightly sluggish mind is perfect for fully enjoying Danny McBride’s little seen off-kilter comedy from last year, in which McBride stars as a local Tae Kwon Do instructor whose lack of self-awareness is only matched by his failure at every facet of life. The film’s consistently strange vibe will amuse, and at 87 minutes, it’ll still leave plenty of time in the day for a well-earned recovery nap.

Trailer Review: Step Brothers (red-band)

Paul Clark — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Given the disappointing box office for Semi-Pro, it’s hard to say how Step Brothers will fare in the crowded late-summer crush, especially since it’s lacking in an easy, audience friendly hook like Will Ferrell’s previous Adam McKay collaborations Anchorman and Talladega Nights. But I’m going to come right out and say it- this looks pretty damn hilarious, at least to me. There was evidence of this in the original theatrical trailer, but here, with the boys free to drop all kinds of naughty words, the raucous R-rated goodness of the movie finally comes through loud and clear. Plus it should go without saying that Ferrell and John C. Reilly have awesome comic chemistry, and that the casting of Screengrab favorite Richard Jenkins is a good sign. I’m not sure how much money Step Brothers will make, but if it flops, don’t blame me- this trailer’s already guaranteed that I’ll be there opening weekend.

Trailer Review: Step Brothers

Paul Clark — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Will Ferrell's high-concept comedies almost always rake in the dough, but overall they're pretty inconsistent. But if one director can bring out Ferrell's broadly comic side while making films of a fairly high caliber, it's Adam McKay. And pairing him once again with John C. Reilly, with whom he had real comic chemistry in Talladega Nights, is a wise decision. Which is why I was a little disappointed that this trailer wasn't funnier. Part of the problem is that the first minute or so feels pretty forced — the concept of the movie is funny, with Ferrell and Reilly as grown men who nonetheless experience the antipathy many young boys feel when they suddenly become part of the same family. But a lot of the gags don't quite work. It's not until they start getting along — "did we just become best friends?" — that it starts getting laughs. Not all of the subsequent gags work either (the brawl with the kids feels too much like a nod to the newscasters' rumble in Anchorman), but these guys work much better together as buddies than as rivals. Besides, it's entirely possible that half the jokes in the trailer won't make it into the movie, considering how much footage ends up getting cut on its way to the theatrical release.

Will Ferrell and the Retro Boys

Scott Von Doviak — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:00:00 GMT

The Associated Press just got the memo: the 1970s are funny! "Platform shoes, leisure suits, fondue, fro picks. What used to be cool is now the stuff of comedy. When it comes to period comedies, the '70s are the equivalent of Victorian-era costume drama. While serious-minded filmmakers are forever reaching back to the time of royalty clad in waistcoats and dressing gowns, comedians are more likely to cull from the less halcyon days of disco and sideburns."

The AP article runs through the history of Me Decade-based comedy, from movie parodies like I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! to the long-running sitcom That '70s Show to the one movie that really got it right, Dazed and Confused. Not surprisingly, Will Ferrell is singled out as one of the movement's leaders, given his retro roles in Anchorman and now Semi-Pro. "Whenever I look back at old photos and this and that, it just seems like such an alien time," Ferrell said. "The '80s are funny too, and I guess we'll look back and the '90s will be funny too, but the '70s are holding strong."

While we're all waiting for that wave of hilarious '90s-based humor, we might as well point out the obvious reason Ferrell and his cohorts are so fascinated with the '70s: that's when they grew up. (Farrell even confesses "I was so into the bicentennial. No joke. I bought a Liberty Bell necklace that was pewter. It was like a prized possession.") The new issue of Sight and Sound takes a look at Farrell and his somewhat more respectable contemporaries in "Indiewood" or "The Frat Pack" — Wes Anderson, Alexander Payne, Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson, etc. — and finds the '70s influence alive and well.

"Many of them had emerged from Sundance in the mid-1990s and they shared that elusive 'indie sensibility' even as they moved into studio production; there were rumours that, like the much-mythologised Movie Brats of the 1970s, these guys hung out together. . . The comparison, and the self-consciousness, were almost inevitable since the rebels arrived on the backlot at the peak of 1970s retro — in music and fashion as well as in film culture." The piece goes on to note that Indiewood was influenced not only by the Movie Brats, but MTV and SNL in equal measure, which is where Ferrell comes in. Indeed, the Semi-Pro star finds an unlikely defender in the notoriously prickly David O. Russell, who served as an executive producer on Anchorman: "I am a comedy snob, and Will Ferrell is sublime." We think he means "groovy."

PTA's Milkshake: Damn Right, It's Better Than Yours

Paul Clark — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 20:00:00 GMT

As Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood still awaits its full-on nationwide release, the buzz for the film has become practically deafening. It's appeared on a raft of critics' top 10 lists, and has raked in heaps of awards for Anderson, star Daniel Day-Lewis, and the score by Jonny Greenwood. But while critical accolades have a definite appeal to a certain portion of the moviegoing audience, it's going to take more than that for the film to break through to the general populace.

That's where the blogosphere comes in. Numerous web sites have seized upon the movie as a kind of cult object, in particular Daniel Day-Lewis' line "I drink your milkshake!", which he bellows near the end of the film. One enterprising webmaster is offering free idrinkyourmilkshake.com e-Mail accounts for a limited time through his web site. In addition, Hollywood Elsewhere's Jeff Wells has proclaimed the line to be "the golden ticket that will sell this thing to people who are too lazy to read reviews and don't care that much about awards." He goes on to suggest that Paramount spearhead the Milkshake campaign by printing up t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, and the like.

Me, I'm of two minds about this. On one hand, part of me cringes at the idea of the public awareness for P.T. Anderson's first film in five years being reduced to a catch-phrase that really doesn't make much sense outside the context of the movie. But having seen the film, I realize that a film with such an dark and unsparing view of human nature- even a great one like There Will Be Blood- is going to be a tough sell with the public. Though whether the Milkshake campaign would have much effect on box office remains to be seen, I think every possible effort should be made to put butts in seats. Besides, it could give us a welcome reprieve from Anchorman-inspired t-shirts.

Oh, and Paramount: want another suggestion on how to make the movie appeal to a wider audience? Give it a wider release already. I gladly drove three hours to catch it, but most people (even many movie lovers) wouldn't, so why deny them the chance to see There Will Be Blood?

Trailer Roundup: "Semi-Pro"

Paul Clark — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Is it just me, or are all these Will Ferrell vehicles starting to look alike? There's certainly a formula at work here- Ferrell plays a _________ who's forced to prove himself to the world, with hijinks inevitably ensuing. It's a formula that's served him well in movies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights, but it's getting more than a little stale. Heck, there's even a fight between Ferrell and a large animal, just like those earlier movies. Here, Ferrell revisits the 70s in the hope of working some of that old Ron Burgundy magic, only this time on the basketball court. And you know what that means- tiny shorts, garish colors, and headbands? You bet! To Ferrell's credit, he's still giving it his all, instead of simply biding his time until Adam McKay comes calling again. Then again, when even the likes of Blades of Glory can rake in the money, what's the motivation for him to do anything new?