The Wright Times

Issue date: 5/1/08 Section: Editorial & Opinion

Media Credit: wildcat.arizona.edu Ferrell as Ricky Bobby

Last year, Hollywoodpeppered movie audiences with various spices of motion pictures. While some were tasteful and savory, a few left flavorless, lackluster tastes in our mouths, but that'swhat happens when you watch recycled plotlines repetitively. Films consistingof horror torture playtime, cohorting malecomedies or abundant spoofs have invadedmovie theaters with the same contrived arsenal from years before, and audiences are just now beginning to rebel.

The actor who has affected the comedy genre
most is Will Ferrell. Ferrell began his acting career on Saturday Night Live. It wasn't until 2003 that his breakout role arrived as the idiot form Frank the Tank in
Old School. Soon that breakout role turned into Ferrell's persona; a man too dumb for his own good (Talladega Nights) who gets caught up in situations where singing
(Blades Of Glory), alcohol (Old School), or
all of the above (Anchorman) are involved. But that formula's success is waning, as evidenced by Semi-Pro, which made only $15 million on opening weekend.

Ferrell's not the only actor to self-typecast. Vince Vaughn has irrevocably
played the same person in every role, a
vain sex-obsessed hedonist (Dodgeball) who,
through a series of ambiguous events (Wedding
Crashers), learns a neat moral lesson in
the end (The Break-Up).

Ben Stiller always manages to guest spot in
any movie (Anchorman, Orange County), and in
his own movies plays the sensitive yet neurotic down-on-his-luck chum (Meet The Parents) who after many comedic mishaps
(There's Something About Mary), finds himself
in a more meaningful place (Night At The
Museum) .

Comedies aren't the only genres where similar
plotlines and characters are used. "Torture
porn" like Saw and Hostel have little or no plot at all to begin with and lures audiences with colossal amounts of gore
and blood. First appearing in 2004, Saw was
the serial killer hit of the year, raking in $55 million domestically. Sequels inevitably gushed out like blood from Jigsaw's victims. Produced annually, each installment made $30 million on opening weekend. That's great, but the content of each film hasn't advanced plotwise. Sure each sequel put money in the bank, but with such lackluster
cyclic behavior as this, it might as well be Monopoly money; do not pass go, do not collect this movie. James Berardinelli

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