In a summer where most raunchy comedies seem to be flopping at the box office — Rough Night and Baywatch have certainly disappointed with their reviews and box office ratings — it looks like it might all come down to The House. The Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler comedy certainly has what it takes to win over fans; Ferrell and Poehler are both comedy stars in their own right, and the supporting cast features a mix of comedy veterans and rising stars who can and should sell every joke in the film.
Beaming families, teary smiles, mortarboards in the air — it’s graduation season, which means that more importantly, it’s celebrity commencement address season. While some high-profile speakers have received a chillier reception than others, the A-lister speech has long been a reliably amusing diversion in between long-winded orations from dusty academic types. Maya Rudolph took plenty of artistic license with “The Star-Spangled Banner” at my graduation ceremony from Tulane a few years ago, an unforgettable experience that I was too drunk to currently remember. But today brings video of another movie star taking the stage before a mass of fresh-faced students blissfully unaware of how hard getting a job is. Ladies, gentlemen, Will Ferrell is in the house.
America could probably use a hug week after week, and Sarah Silverman might be just the person to do it. The revered comedian has partnered with Funny or Die to deliver a new weekly talk series for Hulu, if only to constantly reassure audiences that I Love You, America.
The first trailer for The House is about what you’d expect based on the plot description: Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell need to raise money to send their kid to college, so they start an illegal casino / underground fight club in their basement, various hijinks ensue, etc. It looks pleasant enough, and the combo of Poehler and Ferrell (with a handful of other funny people) should make for a solid comedy — though this one looks a bit safe, which is surprising considering that The House comes from the minds behind Neighbors.
With every new casting update, the gestating detective spoof Holmes and Watson gets a little bit better. Casting former Step Brothers Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as bumbling iterations of Sherlock Holmes and his man Watson was an inspired move to begin with, but landing a supporting cast including Rebecca Hall, Kelly Macdonald, The Trip cutup Rob Brydon, and comedy’s hidden gem Lauren Lapkus s