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"I Am Born Anew In Your Genius"
Date of Review: Jan 26, 2005
The Bottom Line: Consult your physician if Will Ferrell doesn't make you laugh at least once while watching this collection.
I've been watching "Saturday Night Live" on a week-to-week basis since the 1990-91 season, when the long-running, late-night comedy program was dominated by talents like Phil Hartman and Dana Carvey. Slowly, they, and other cast members, began to leave the show to pursue other projects, as new, younger performers were brought it to take their places. SNL soon reached its 20th anniversary in 1994, which was highlighted by poor writing and bad press from the season premiere to the season finale..Producer Lorne Michaels had no choice but to make a major cast overhaul, even letting go cast members like Chris Farley and Adam Sandler, whose sketches that year played more as private jokes than humor crafted for the audience. Of the new talent brought in for the 1995-96 season, it was Will Ferrell who eventually turned SNL on its head and shook up the entire comedy world with little to no warning.
At first, Ferrell was dismissed by critics as a replacement for Farley, who'd spent much of the previous season yelling in sketches for comedy effect. Indeed, in Ferrell's first major sketch, which appeared on his first episode, hosted by Mariel Hemingway, he played a suburban dad standing at the barbecue grill in the backyard. The scene looked normal at first, but almost immediately he began yelling maniacally at his kids offscreen (communicating with unseen characters became a trademark of recurring characters from this point on), warning them to "Get off the shed!" or else he would put the hurt on them. I was still reeling from the negativity of the previous season, so I was watching this new cast with a bit of advance skepticism. It honestly wasn't until the Hemingway episode repeated later in the season that I began to appreciate the "Get Off The Shed" sketch (though I can't say the same for its sequels), and I was aptly convinced that first year that Ferrell was a great addition to SNL. Ferrell even had a knack for humorous impressions, such as Neil Diamond and Harry Carey, though I was never astounded by impressions like Charlton Heston (which had been more skillfully portrayed by Hartman). Ferrell has also had an amusing range of recurring characters, though, here again, I wouldn't attest to having liked all of them. Some cracked me up endlessly, while others simply annoyed me (the Cheerleaders).
Ferrell spent seven seasons on "Saturday Night Live", and any fan would agree that he could have spent twice as long there and never wear out his welcome. He made such an impact on the show that one Best Of collection barely scratches the surface of his talents (a second volume was later broadcast). Ferrell had such a wide range of performances on SNL, that if you asked a million of his fans to compile a list of his ten greatest sketches, surely no two lists would read alike, with one possible exception (see below). So, without further ado, let's move on to the sketch list that comprises The Best of Will Ferrell (Vol. 1):
The Culps: 02/01/01
I've always found Ferrell's Marty Culp character more humorous in appearance than performance, but the sketches sometimes turn out funny based on the choice of music medley. This time, The Culps (with Ana Gasteyer as Bobbi-Mohan Culp) do their musical gig at an anti-drug rally hosted by Alta Dena Middle School. The biggest laugh comes from Bobbi's booty-shake during their performance of "I Like Big Butts." I would have preferred an actual cold opening, such as the Unabomber's Class Reunion or the time Janet Reno interrupted President Clinton's press conference, but those are the breaks.
Behind The Music: Blue Oyster Cult: 04/08/00
This is the sketch that I think stands highest on any fan's list of favorite Ferrell sketches. It's host Christopher Walken who gets all the hilarious lines as Bruce Dickinson, but it's Ferrell's energy as he bangs away on the cowbell that sends the audience into hysterics. For a split second, he even cracks himself up! And, just so you know, there really is a cowbell in the Blue Oyster Cult song "(Don't) Fear The Reaper." It's doubtful you'll ever listen to that song on the radio again without thinking back on this sketch.
Dissing Your Dog: 12/01/01
Ferrell has starred in an amazing number of commercial parodies, playing the humorous spokesman for odd products such as Bug-Off (tortures roaches isntead of killing them) and Pet Chow Rat Poison (no, Shep, that's not for you!). In this ad, he stars in a self-help video that assists owners in feeding their dogs with mockery and verbal humiliation, be it congratulating them for pooping on the rug or inviting them to relax in their master's favorite chair after their hard day at work ("No, wait a minute, that's ME!"). Mean-spirited, but truly hilarious.
Spartan Cheerleaders: 01/20/96
Ferrell's bit with Cheri Oteri as cheerleaders Craig and Arianna has seldom impressed me, save for the installment with Jim Carrey as the foreign exchange student. This time around, there's no host guest appearance, just Craig and Arianna cheering on at a Chess tournament. Ferrell and Oteri have chemistry together, and they do come up with unique locations to cheer at, but recurring characters seen as pathetic by other characters within a sketch seldom provide me with a laugh.
Coconut Bangers Ball: 11/04/00
Ferrell as Robert Goulet, promoting an album of rap songs performed in a professional voice by the ego-driven crooner. The concept is funny, but the execution tends to drag. The funniest moment comes when Goulet holds a staring contest with a stuffed ram who rolls up to his car.
Clip Montage: Ferrell displays his patriotism at work by wearing a flag-print thong, and it's just as funny as it is gross and disturbing; Ferrell has a miniscule cellphone and is the wheelchair-driving manager at Jeffrey's, not to mention the only funny part of this recurring sketch I've never cared for; and Rachel Dratch gives birth to a 37-year old man played by Will Ferrell, from a sketch that's more gross and pointless than it is funny. Unless I'm mistaken, the first and third clips appear in full sketch form in Vol. 2.
Celebrity Jeopardy: 10/23/99
Though Ferrell plays game show host Alex Trebek in this recurring parody, he's technically not the "star" of the sketch. He mainly plays off the aggravation induced by the celebrities who are too dumb to answer simple questions in categories like "Animal Sounds." This one features Darrell Hammond as Sean Connery and Norm MacDonald as fan favorite Burt Reynolds. The Celebrity Jeopardy sketches were written more sharply in its earlier days, and by this point much of the humor would come from unnecessary name-calling of Trebek's mother by Connery. Still, this is a hilarious installment, featuring categories on ape tits and condoms (not really), as well as Reynolds changing his name to Turd Ferguson and wearing a giant cowboy hat.
Inside the Actor's Studio: 04/07/01
Ferrell is James Lipton, who teaches his students the craft of art and film by interviewing the world's greatest actors. In this installment, that actor is the "scrumtrelescent" Charles Nelson Reilly (Alec Baldwin). There's a few good moments, but my favorite will always be Lipton's interview with a foul-mouthed Clint Eastwood (Norm MacDonald), over interviews with actors of an ever-decreasing quality and acceptance for Lipton's inanity. Which is not to say Ferrell isn't hilarious as Lipton, an impression he clearly enjoys performing for his audience.
The Devil Can't Write A Love Song: 11/13/99
Garth Brooks plays a country bumpkin who aspires to be a rock singer but can't write a hit. Willing to sell his soul for a hit song, the Devil (Ferrell) appears to cash in but is unable to make good on their arrangement. The concept's not bad, but this one stagnates pretty quickly.
Clip Montage: a collection of great Ferrell impressions, ranging from President George W. Bush, Janet Reno (sparring with Rudolph Guiliania on her Dance Party), and Saddam Hussein.
Space: The Infinite Frontier: 05/17/97
Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray (Ferrell) hosts a science program, and interviews an astrophysicist (Jeff Goldblum). Caray's ignorance of all things scientific makes this one of Ferrell's most oddest and funniest sketches of all time. Of the infinite number of science questions Caray could ask of his guest, he's most interested in getting an answer for, "Would you eat the moon if were made of ribs?" Perfect!
The Love-ahs: 10/13/01
Professors Roger (Ferrell) and Virginia (Rachel Dratch), though gross and unappealing, are deeply in love with one another and don't mind sharing this information with any stranger they come across. Jimmy Fallon plays the stranger they meet in the hot tub at the Welshley Arms Hotel. Host Drew Barrymore also appears. Ferrell goes out of his way to crack Fallon up by playing footsies under the bubbling water, but, ultimately, this sketch goes nowhere for me. My only laughs were contagious reactions from watching the performers laugh their way through the sketch. Otherwise, it's just gross and disgusting.
Roxbury Guys: 05/18/96
Ferrell, Chris Kattan, and host Jim Carrey are The Roxbury Guys, club hoppers in desperate search of women throughout the night. Carrey was the best (and first) "third" Roxbury Guy, and subsequent hosts like Tom Hanks and Martin Short couldn't compete. In time, the sketch focused soley on Ferrell and Kattan as the Brothers Butabi, who would often hit on female hosts playing characters of their pursuits. Overall, it was this early installment with Carrey that fans loved the most, and which remains the funniest entry of these characters. Later spun-off as a motion picture.
Clip Montage: Ferrell's recurring roles in Morning Latte and Dog Show are shown. Morning Latte was good for an occasional laugh, but I always disliked the Dog Show sketches.
Terrence Maddox: 03/14/98
Ferrell plays a grungy, perhaps homeless, dude who earns a little extra money by posing nude for a sculpting class. It's gross, but Ferrell delivers zany lines the entire time. This first installment isn't bad, though it seemed an unnecessary addition to Ferrell's list of recurring characters.
Family Dinner: 01/17/98
A silent, seemingly tense, dinner escalates as the family lashes out at another. Ferrell's angry outbursts ("I drive a Dodge Stratus!") make the sketch, and it especially grows on you with repeated viewings.
Jacob Silj: 01/20/01
An incomplete clip from Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon & Tina Fey features Ferrell as a spokesman who suffers from voice immodulation, causing mass confusion when Fey mistakenly thinks he's shouting with intent. I liked the character better the first time, when he appeared on Weekend Update with Colin Quinn. Head writer Fey must have a clause somewhere that dictates her appearance on Best Of videos, because she seems to appear in videos where you wouldn't figure she belongs.
Overall, it's a good collection of sketches, but for every sketch included in this volume there's at least a dozen others that are missing. Producers could easily compile a 10-disc volume of Ferrell's work - maybe more, if they included cut dress rehearsal sketches. My personal list of missing favorites would include "Wake Up & Smile", Friends of Bill Brasky, "Neil Diamond: Storytellers" and Attorney Wade Blasingame.
The Best of Will Ferrell on DVD
Fans will also be delighted by the plethora of extra features included on Ferrell's Best Of DVD, which highlight the greatness of his tenure on "Saturday Night Live."
Audition: eight minutes of Ferrell auditioning for the chance to be on "Saturday Night Live." He does impressions of Harry Caray and Ted Kennedy, performs the "Get Off The Shed" sketch, and imitates a cat. The performances are so-so without setting and make-up, but Ferrell definitely shows his energy. As an interesting sidenote, Ferrell's audition takes place at Home Base over the summer before that main stage was reconstructed for the new season.
Photo Gallery
Dress Sketch: cut sketch entitled "The Old Prospector" has Ferrell playing the title role, a prospector who wants to participate in the war in Iraq. Cast members crack up endlessly, though the premise is more odd than it is funny. Nevertheless, Ferrell's fans crave the discovery of this sketch. It's unfortunate that we're given no clue as to when this sketch was taped.
Outtakes: about seven minutes of Ferrell cracking up during sketches, both live and in dress rehearsal. Ferrell put a lot of effort into cracking up his fellow cast members on the live show, but seldom cracked up with them.
Conan I: eight-minute interview from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" features Ferrell dressed as Robert Goulet and performing a rousing rendition of "My Favorite Things." More evidence that there's nothing Ferrell won't do for a laugh.
Conan II: nine-minute older interview from "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (Andy Richter is still Conan's sidekick) features Ferrell in skimpy underwear and promoting his film "A Night At The Roxbury." Ferrell also tries out some new characters he hopes to introduce during SNL's 1998-99 season, then dons a helmet and performs a monologue from "Patton."
