Will Ferrell arrives in theaters this weekend with The Other Guys, and Steve Carell (along with rising stars Zach Galifianakis and Paul Rudd) hit theaters last weekend with Dinner for Schmucks – so with all these big-time funny men back out in the open, now might be a good time to examine which guys are making us laugh the most in 2010. And, yes, with no disrespect to the ladies, I’m going to concentrate on men for this particular piece since these past two weekends have been all about the dudes. So, here, in my opinion, are the top five comedic actors working today (ladies go next time, I promise!) …
1. Will Ferrell – He hasn’t always hit the mark, but his collaborations with close friend (and partner) Adam McKay have produced some of the funniest comedies of the decade, and The Other Guys simply continues that hot streak (seriously, it’s a riot – go see it). Though Ferrell is always playing some variation of the same man-child character, he still continues to make us laugh. Maybe it’s the hair …2. Steve Carell – Every time Carell puts out a dud in theaters (and trust me, he has), I always return to episodes of The Office where the guy just kills big time. Not many men working today are funnier than Carell when he’s given the right material, and I’m bummed he’s leaving The Office to do more films, but I hope that extra time will afford him the right to pick new projects a little more wisely.
3. Adam Sandler – Yes, most of his films are silly and stupid and contain way too many fart jokes, but fact of the matter is Adam Sandler is still ridiculously popular with audiences – just look at how much this summer’s Grown-Ups has made at the box office so far ($150 million). Obviously the guy is still doing something right. Right?4. Jim Carrey – Though he’s had a few missteps recently, Yes Man took in almost $100 million, proving people still want to shell out cash to see Jim Carrey in a funny movie. I personally think he’d do better in live-action comedies (versus voice work in animated films), but this guy has a few hits left in him, I believe it.
5. Paul Rudd – When you have four guys on a list who’d do just about anything to get a laugh, you need to include at least one “straight guy” … because, in comedy, sometimes the “straight guy” gets the most laughs. Rudd never plays it up too silly, and usually takes parts as the guy who’s supposed to be the “normal” average dude. We like him; he has the kind of built-in charisma that you can’t help but relate to, and not only do you laugh at him (and with him), but when you watch Paul Rudd you feel like you just hung out with the guy last weekend and threw back some beers. He’s got a great presence.So those are my picks for the five biggest comedic actors working today. Do you agree, or would you completely change it up?
