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The Old Guard
All the recent press hoopla over the new comedy Wedding Crashers has gotten me thinking about that one corner of film comedy that has gotten rather insular of late. I’m talking about movies like Zoolander, Old School, Starsky and Hutch, Dodgeball, and Anchorman, where it’s all pretty much the same bunch of guys who get together to have fun, screw around, and not take the whole filmmaking process very seriously. I’m not disparaging the phenomenon, because for the most part the actors in these movies let us, the audience, in on the joke. I realized that there’s only one other group in the history of entertainment that was able to get by relying so purely on charisma and moxie: The Rat Pack. Sadly, my generation mostly knew the Rat Pack as a bunch of old fossils that our parents and grandparents liked. Until I was 17, the only thing I knew about Sammy Davis Jr. was that he stole Jim Henson’s thunder by dying on the same day. So I say that our generation needs it’s own band of merry men, who may enjoy success with their individual projects, but who are the most fun when two or three of them get together and just cut loose. I had made the attempt to officially dub them “The Frat Pack”, based on their appeal among the collegiate crowd, but apparently that term has been around for some time and I'd never encountered it. Luckily, some of our kind readers were able to politely point this out to me in comments section, so I'm revising my statement here and rescinding my claim to having coined the term. Still, one wonders if the appellation is appropriate, so I'm listing and comparing the men in question here, ranked with their Rat Pack counterparts.
1. Vince Vaughn- Frank Sinatra: This is a bit of a stretch, but stay with me here. Vince exudes the kind of laid-back, confident cool that Frank personified. Both are just slightly awkward-looking, and both have the most capacity for dramatic work as well. Now, I’m not suggesting that Vince is the same kind of all-around entertainer that Frank was, but every pack needs a leader, and Vince just screams Alpha male. I did see Vince sing once on "Saturday Night Live" and either he was trying to sing well, or deliberately singing badly to heighten the comedic effect. In either case, he failed. Still, Frankie never had to deal with a CGI dinosaur, so it’s an even trade-off.
2. Owen Wilson- Dean Martin: These are the guys who seem alternately quirkier and more collected than the leader. They both display a bizarre combination of Slacker and Hipster mentalities that I will hereby dub “Slackster”. Dean made playing drunk both funny and believable, and if there’s anyone who looks and acts more consistently stoned than Owen then I haven’t seen him (all right, except maybe Jim Breuer). Plus, there’s also the fact that they both enjoyed their first big film successes when paired with awkward, wildly physical guys who didn’t have such a great command of the language (that’s Jerry Lewis and Jackie Chan respectively).
He's got the attitude
3. Ben Stiller- Sammy Davis Jr.: This is actually a closer match than immediately seems obvious. In both cases, these are the shortest guys in the bunch. Also, they’re the most ethnic. Going deeper, we can see that they both have the most hyphens in their respective titles, Sammy being an actor-comic-singer-dancer, and Ben being an actor-writer-director-producer. But on a more socially relevant level, we see that they both achieved the most unpredictable success in their careers. Who would have guessed that middle America would have given their hearts to Sammy Davis Jr., a smart-alecky negro with a funny eye. Likewise, we have Ben Stiller, a snarky, slightly Sephardic little alt-comedy auteur who went on to star in the highest-grossing film comedy ever. Even my parents have heard of him, and that’s saying a lot. These two are like אפונה in a pod.
4. Luke Wilson- Peter Lawford: Here’s where I have to plead ignorance. Of the guys on the list, these are two whose work I’m the least familiar with. Yet, in a way, that’s a parallel. I haven’t seen any of Luke Wilson’s more high-profile projects, and the ones I have seen weren’t exactly box office gold (Dog Park, anyone? How about Kill the Man with Joshua Malina? Just me then? Okay). The only thing I’ve ever seen with Peter Lawford in it was when they did Angels’ Revenge on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". My point is that neither one of them is much of a draw. Although I’ve never been turned off from a movie because Luke Wilson was in it, I’ve also never picked up a DVD and said “Ooh! Luke Wilson! This I gotta see!” According to the people over fifty that I asked, Lawford’s got the same vibe going.
5. Will Ferrell- Joey Bishop: The dregs. Here we’ve got the guys who aren’t really funny, but they get invited to the party anyway. Maybe they’ve got the best hooker connection or something. Or perhaps Will Ferrell pushed Vince Vaughn out of the way of an oncoming bus once. Still, for whatever reason, Will and Joey have managed to grab hold of the gravitas and they’re hanging on for dear life. I realize that I may be in the minority in not finding Will Ferrell funny, and I could go on at great length about why I think that way, but this isn’t the time or place (see my upcoming article “Will Ferrell is Not Funny and Never Was and Here’s Why”). I do get a little despondent over the fact that Joey is the last Rat Packer who’s still alive, but it’s important to keep in mind that the only time we’ve seen him in the past fifteen years is when he’s sitting on his couch in a jogging suit being interviewed about whichever member of the Rat Pack died most recently. So, get ready for that, Will. I recommend something from the John Blair collection. They’re economical, easy to clean, and they have elastic waistbands.
I could go on and stretch the metaphor further, comparing Christine Taylor to Angie Dickinson, for instance, or try and squeeze Jason Bateman into the mix, but part of the appeal of the Rat Pack was their simplicity. They were who they were and they filled those roles well. Now, at last, my generation will have it’s own version. Now if I can just convince them to start up a Vegas lounge act…
"I realize that I may be in the minority in not finding Will Ferrell funny"
Yeah, I would say this statement is correct.
paulie
Ferrell
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Posted: 7/18/2005 2:50:03 AM
You maybe in the minority, but I am right there with you. Will Ferrell is just a second rate Chevy Chase.
WTF
Thank you
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Posted: 7/18/2005 8:01:51 AM
Will Ferrell is SO NOT funny. I have also felt your pain - being the lone voice of dissent in a large group of your "peers" who think Will Ferrell rejuvenated SNL and brought it back to a level equivalent to the original - a travesty. I do not understand how this guy keeps getting cast in flix. How in God's name is this guy starring in a flick opposite Nicole Kidman? Ferrell needs to be added to the Top 50 "vicious beating list."
Dave Amiott
Well, Fuck me...
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Posted: 7/18/2005 8:34:13 AM
Honest to God, I wrote this article on Wednesday, before the USA Today thing went up. It must a case of, whattayacallit, sychronicity. Shit.
deuce
too bad..
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Posted: 7/18/2005 8:46:04 AM
about the synchronicity... good article though.. i guess i am not smart enough to find will ferrell not funny though.. very nice call on the sinatra-vaughn comparison. vince is the (ear muffs) fucking man
Johnathan
Some good points
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Posted: 7/18/2005 9:49:30 AM
Ferrell was funny on Saturday night live, and in some of his early supporting movie roles. And that's pretty much it. Nearly ten years ago, I remember thinking Vince was great in Swingers and would be great in other movies. I also remember thinking the same of the Wilsons after seeing Bottle Rocket. I was pretty much wrong on both accounts. I'm sorry, but Old School is only marginally funny. I know saying that means I'll have to turn in my khakis and backwards cap, but it's true.
All this to say, go watch Bottle Rocket, the first of the Wes Anderson trilogy, and by far the funniest. When you watch it, pretend you never saw Owen in Zoolander or Luke in Home Fries and it will be far more enjoyable.
Kayvon
upcoming article
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Posted: 7/18/2005 10:02:12 AM
"see my upcoming article 'Will Ferrell is Not Funny and Never Was and Here’s Why'"
You'd probably be better served dubbing the article, "How to Swamp an Article with 200 Angry, Incoherent Rants"
deuce
johnathan
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Posted: 7/18/2005 10:03:39 AM
poor jon jon had to turn in his radiohead cd's, ironic t-shirts, jean jackets, and chuck taylors a couple of years ago once they started to be "cool" & popular..
please visit johnathans website to find everything else he did before everyone "ruined it"
www.isaw_heard_wore_knew_it_beforeyousothatmakesmecool and original.com
sigh
gotta love people...
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Posted: 7/18/2005 10:12:41 AM
who think they are "cool" by saying bottle rocket is funnier than old school, wedding crashers etc...........
Botox
I love these boys!
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Posted: 7/18/2005 11:30:02 AM
Vince is my favorite & Will Farrell is too funny. Old School is still the best thing to come out since Animal House. Who cares if it is just as big a rip off as this article.
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