For some moviegoers, Will Ferrell earned eternal goodwill thanks to “Elf.”
The 2003 charmer is now a yuletide institution, a small notch below “A Christmas Story” and “Christmas Vacation.” And deservedly so.
Yet the “Saturday Night Live” alum hasn’t hit 1.000 since leaving the NBC showcase. Few actors do. But Ferrell’s misses are legendary.
He may have a new clunker on his hands with “Daddy’s Home Two.” The sequel to the 2015 hit reteams the comic star with Mark Wahlberg. This time, the fathers’ fathers are on hand, too, played by Mel Gibson and John Lithgow.
So far, the reviews have been withering. The official Rotten Tomatoes score is hovering around 16 percent “rotten.” Yikes.
Let’s hope it’s not as wretched as the following four Ferrell features.
“Land of the Lost”
A hopelessly corner TV show turned into a big budget feature? It could work. Not this time, though. The laughs are sparse even if the FX lap the source material. So what? Wouldn’t it be more fun to recreate the crude ’70s look and feel of the original show?
That gag potential never materialized with this 2009 flop. Nor did much of anything else despite potential scene-stealer Danny McBride teaming with Ferrell and co-star Anna Friel.
“The House”
The studio behind this 2017 dud kept it hidden from film critics before hitting theaters nationwide. Good thinking.
You can’t blame the cast, which includes Amy Poehler and “The League” standout Jason Mantzoukas. The premise also holds out hope. Ferrell plays a parent struggling to pay for his teen’s college education.
Who can’t relate in 2017?
Only audiences sniffed out this stinker miles away, with the final box office tally an anemic $25 million.
“Zoolander 2”
To be fair, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson are the stars of this misbegotten sequel. Still, Ferrell returns to the mini-franchise to play Mugatu, the series’ villain from the 2001 original.
The results? Arguably the worst comic sequel in recent memory. The film’s creative team loaded up on talent, adding Penelope Cruz, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kristen Wiig to the mix. Nothing helped. Watch this one at your own peril.
“Kicking and Screaming”
Ferrell is a solid choice for sports comedies. “Blades of Steel” delivered a few big laughs. “Semi-Pro” did, too. And “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” offered huge laughs and a fun catchphrase (“shake and bake”) before running out of gas.
But this? The flat family comedy squandered not just Ferrell but screen legend Robert Duvall, too.
There’s plenty of potential humor in youth sports, from aggressive parents to kids who’d rather poke at the grass with their cleats than pay attention. The film opted for obvious gags your kid brother might enjoy. You’ll just roll your eyes over and again.
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