8 Will Ferrell Movies the Public Forget Exist

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There’s no question that Will Ferrell is one of the world’s premiere comedic actors. The former SNL star transitioned from television to movies with an ease befitting of his talent, and today, comedy fans can draw upon a long list of out-and-out Ferrell comedy juggernauts. Movies such as Anchorman, Old School, and Step Brothers are classics that’ll be watched well into the future. Yet while those movies might be very much still in the public’s mind, Ferrell has plenty of movies that, for various reasons, failed to capture the public’s imagination. Did you know that Ferrell once starred in a Woody Allen movie? Or that Ferrell is a hit with Eurovision fans, having made a movie where the lead character nearly defeats the Eurovision song contest favourite (spoiler: it goes wrong)? Unless you’re a die-hard Ferrell fan, the answer to both those questions will be, “No.”

But fear not, because we’re here to fill you in on the Will Ferrell movies that the public forgot. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, then one of these might be just the thing you’re looking for!

A Night at the Roxbury

SNL has provided a launchpad for many of Hollywood’s greatest comedy actors, and that’s just what it did for Will Ferrell. However, it didn’t come immediately for Ferrell. His first lead role was in A Night At The Roxbury, which featured his SNL co-star Chris Kattan. The movie had a direct connection to SNL in that it was based on sketches that Ferrell and Kattan had performed on the show over the years. They were deemed good enough to merit a big-screen adaptation. Upon release, the movie did pretty well considering the negative reviews, bringing in $30 million against a $17 million budget. But the success was short-lived, and now the movie is squarely tucked away in the archives, rarely receiving an outing.

The Suburbans

Will Ferrell seems like the perfect choice to play a washed-up boy band member, so it was little surprise when he was cast in the 1999 movie The Suburbans. The premise is standard Farrell fodder. He’s the ex-member of a boy band that had minor success in the 1980s. Following a brief reunion at a friend’s wedding, the band got back together for real. We won’t say that the movie is bad, exactly, but we will say it only grossed some $12,000 at the box office and was pulled from theaters after two weeks. Plus, the careers of the movie’s co-stars never truly recovered. In this case, Ferrell showed that you can survive a few disasters if you’re talented enough!

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Another Will Ferrell movie where he plays a singer. Does Ferrell have a secret fantasy to be a musician? Quite possibly. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga performed much better than The Suburbans, however. Released in 2020, the story follows an Icelandic couple who dream of winning the famed Eurovision song contest, of which Ferrell is a real-life fan. We won’t spoil all the fun because this is one that’s worth watching. The critics didn’t really like it, but the fans loved the songs and the all-star cast, which makes it somewhat surprising that the movie didn’t become a bigger hit.

The Other Guys

Now, The Other Guys is obviously a step above the other movies mentioned on this list. To the people who have seen it, it’s a comedy classic. However, not that many people did see it, which is a little surprising, given it came from the same dream team that gave us Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. The movie follows Ferrell and co-star Mark Wahlberg, who both play cops with very different approaches to their craft. It did well in theaters, and the critics liked it too, but for one reason or another, it failed to capture the public’s imagination in the same way as Ferrell’s other big comedy movies. Oh well!

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Melinda and Melinda

Starring in a Woody Allen movie can be a huge honor for an actor. But results are far from guaranteed. The legendary director makes so many movies that there are always a few duds in there, and that, unfortunately, is what Ferrell got. Even though the critics didn’t like it and the public couldn’t get the chance to like it (because the release was limited), it’s worth seeking out if you’re a fan of movies that feel like they were written for the stage. The excellent cast includes Josh Brolin, Steve Carrell, Chloë Sevigny, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Producers

The Producers was a giant success story. Alas, not the version that Will Ferrell appears in. His role came in the 2005 remake, which was enjoyable for fans to watch, but on balance, nowhere near as good as the original. It’s a movie that very much feels like Broadway, so there is plenty to love. But it’s not all that surprising that people rarely mention this version of the movie.

Stranger Than Fiction

The premise of Stranger Than Fiction was amazing, and Will Ferrell’s performance was fantastic. So it’s unusual that the 2006 comedy-drama didn’t go on to become more successful. A minor box office upon release, the movie follows Will Ferrel’s character, Harold Crick, as he slowly learns that he’s the main character in a book being written by Emma Thompson. Sweet, thought-provoking, and an example of Ferrell’s extensive talent, there’s no reason why this movie should be lost into the ether, but that’s what happened. You can’t always explain Hollywood!

Everything Must Go

Everything Must Go is sometimes mentioned as a comedy-drama, but in truth, it’s heavier on the drama than comedy. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad movie. This is actually one of Ferrell’s higher rating movies on Rotten Tomatoes. But if you’re known for comedy roles, then sometimes, the work that you do outside of that genre can be overlooked, and that seems to be what happened here. It’s one of his worst-performing movies at the box office, but we say, take a look when you can!