Will Ferrell and Dane Cook as the Unfunny

As my profile and some past entries indicate, I'm a huge fan of stand-up and sketch comedy. I love a lot of the great comics and also admire a lot of what SNL alums have done since the show, to include most of what's come from Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Chris Rock, and of course Phil Hartman before his untimely death.

However, as a connoisseur of comedy I am offended by cheap "insta-humour" [sic] in probably the same way some wine snob somewhere cringes when he sees people buying Boone's Farm or something out of a box.

My public enemies #1 and #2 are Will Ferrell and Dane Cook.

Will Ferrell relies almost exclusively on sight gags, insta-humour, and overdone slapstick. He's not doing or saying anything original or subtle, but he's playing the same over-acted character who throws out popular expressions and wears insta-funny getups (HAHAHAHA! Will Ferrell is wearing knee-high socks and sweatbands!! HAHAHHAHA!! Does that outfit really say Wonder Bread?!?!? Oh no he didn't!!! Hey, it's the tighty-whitey gag again!!)

Dane Cook is possibly even worse. His observational 'comedy' is neither insightful nor even funny (Did you ever notice when you take a girl to the movies, she'll walk past the candy once and say 'I don't want any,' and then later she changes her mind...What's up with that?) And his physical comedy isn't really funny, either. Jim Carrey, by contrast, did some AWESOME physical comedy stuff in the early to mid-1990s by bringing a unique energy and passion to his work (just think about the greatness of Ace Ventura, Dumb and Dumber, and the Mask). Dane Cook relies on these unfeeling 'outbursts' and sudden bodily contortions that don't really flow with the rest of what he does or add anything to the routine itself.

I am working on my own Dane Cook parody that I will happily perform next time I see you in person.

As for Will Ferrell, I would literally rather listen to two seventh-graders just repeat stuff they heard on Family Guy or South Park than watch his new basketball movie.