Will Powered

Rating: 7/10 (22 November 2003)

I'm starting to think that there are dumb comedies and smart comedies. The "dumb" ones typically I cannot stand and usually fall into the banal (Farelly brothers) or ride one joke to exasperation ("Romy and Michelle's high School Reunion")
This is a pretty good dumb comedy. One that thankfully gets by on a single belch, a little "tasteful" vomit and a urine joke that spears asparagus. Instead it relies more on us liking and maybe even identifying with an "idiot" who is more childlike than clueless.
The more Will, the more power it has...especially when we get detours from the required plot landmark visits. Scenes like... - Will running around New York city waving at a guy hailing a taxi, swapping pamphlets, etc... - Will hitting the "maple" in the mail room...making a best friend - Will getting a DNA check at the doctor's (director Favreau)
That last section may have been the funniest to me, as it felt the most free... I suspect some of that was just plain improvised based upon the props on the set??
Overall of course 99% of this was scripted, but whenever a film can at least feel like the comic is just riffing, that is a key for me. (And I think it is where Eddie Murphy's career evaporated...)
Certainly this film is well planned out, but to its credit (and largely to Ferrell) it does have a looseness. If you enjoyed Ferrell on SNL, you should likely be able to find humor in this. Or if you like tromp l'oiel this has some nice bits... Some of the other grandiose reviews on this (lauding Asner, for what exactly?) might unjustly inflate expectations. Product placement was a little heavy here, I wish they'd skipped that and just not spent the money on the CGI sleigh ride from the four horsemen/orcs of the central park rangers. The ending of the film suffers as many comedies do, it's the time when everyone has to pass their papers to the front.
Favreau is a sharp and gracious fan of film (from his IFC show) and Ferrell is funny as a stand-up sort of everymoron. 7/10