Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have made some great comedy movies during their partnership, and here are all of the films they made together ranked from worst to best. The comedy duo both got their start working on SNL. While McKay initially auditioned to be a cast member, the show thought his talents were better suited as a writer rather than a performer. McKay quickly rose the ranks and was head writer of the show from 1996 - 1998. The two teamed up to make the smash hit Anchorman in 2004, making their first collaboration a success and solidifying their partnership. In 2006, they formed Gary Sanchez Productions, which is responsible for movies like Vice, Ant-Man, and Daddy's Home.
In 2007, McKay and Ferrell formed the comedy sketch website Funny or Die, and then went on to make four more movies together. Their partnership ended after Etan Coen's Holmes and Watson flopped hard at the box office. According to IndieWire, the final straw that tanked their working relationship was McKay's decision to cast actor John C. Reilly over Ferrell in their new miniseries Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. While Ferrell cites other reasons for their broken bromance, apparently McKay didn't handle the recast very well. He reportedly fired Ferrell and cast Reilly without first consulting him. Attempts to repair the relationship have been made on Adam's end. However, it doesn't look like the pair are going to work together again any time soon.
It's quite a shame that Adam McKay and Will Ferrell are no longer making films together because the two dominated the mid-2000's comedy scene. While not all of their movies were critically successful, their partnership provided the world with a lot of laughs and one-liners that still live on. Currently, Will Ferrell collaborates with actors like Steve Carrell, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, and Paul Rudd. He's taken on more producing gigs as of late and currently stars in Apple TV's The Shrink Next Door. McKay has had a few busy years sans Ferrell. His directorial credits are growing, and as of late, the director has found his stride in the political satire genre with movies like Don't Look Up. Hopefully, the two can rekindle their friendship soon because the following list of movies provides gut-busting laughs and it'd be a shame if the two didn't make any more films together.
5. Anchorman 2 (2013)
With the success of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, fans of the comedy duo had high hopes for the long-awaited sequel. Unfortunately, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues wasn't exactly what viewers were looking for. The Will Ferrell movie has some things going for it, as the ensemble cast returns to reprise their hilarious characters. Most memorably, audiences get to see a new battle royale among the news stations, throwing in hysterical cameos from Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Jim Carrey, Kanye West, and Will Smith. The film has a few funny moments, but the battle royale is probably the best one.
Adam McKay has mentioned in the past that he refuses to do sequels unless there is a viable need. It's true that Anchorman generated enough of a fanbase to warrant a second installment, but it would have to be better than the original. This is why Anchorman 2 makes the top of the list as the worst movie Adam McKay and Will Ferrell have done together. The sequel had two major problems, the first being that it was clearly not as good as the original. The second issue is that it stripped away Anchorman's sociocultural satire. Part of the first movie's message had to do with men acclimating to women having autonomy in the workplace. The second film was more about crazy news anchors having to join the 24-hour news cycle.
4. The Other Guys (2010)
The Other Guys marked the start of Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg's collaborative relationship, and the beginning of the end for him and Adam McKay. The film had a star-studded cast going for it. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had a small part, as this was when his career was still in its relatively early stages. Veteran oddball Michael Keaton was also cast as Captain Gene, inadvertently spouting TLC song references all throughout his monologues. Samuel L. Jackson appears alongside The Rock in a bit part at the very beginning of the movie. However, even with all of the star power behind the film, it still was overshadowed by Ferrell and McKay's other collaborations.
The amount of big-name actors in The Other Guys is actually what killed it. Michael Keaton dominates the screen as Captain Gene, leading audiences to look forward to his appearance rather than the main characters. While Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg have a great back and forth, it's obvious to viewers that they're still working out the kinks of their comedic timing. Eva Mendes' small part as Allen Gamble's surprisingly attractive wife is even more interesting than what's going on with Gamble and Hoitz. When audiences remember Dwayne Johnson's death scene more than the rest of the movie, it's clearly not a good sign.
3. Step Brothers (2008)
The movie Step Brothers is one of the great dividers among viewers and critics alike. Some like it, some hate it - nonetheless, it's one of Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's funnier films. With its strange premise and its larger-than-life characters, the movie gave everyone famous one-liners, such as, "Did we just become best friends?!" and, "So many activities!" A story about two man-children forced to live together as stepbrothers doesn't sound like a great film on paper, but with Ferrell and McKay's writing coupled with John C. Reilly's comedic ability the movie works well. The movie's cast works seamlessly together, with no one person overshadowing the other. Adam Scott switches up his usual nice-guy routine to play Brennan's bully brother, with WandaVision's Kathryn Hahn memorably playing his flirtatious wife.
The only reason that Step Brothers isn't higher on the list is because of how the movie divided audiences. Many found the characters to be too outlandish. Even with the low-brow humor that occurs in Ferrell and McKay's other movies, Step Brothers is definitely the most vulgar out of the bunch. The movie ended up being a litmus test among moviegoers to determine just how much weirdness they can handle. Step Brothers doesn't have a clear overarching message, nor does it openly poke fun at societal standards or politics. However, in this particular case that doesn't necessarily end up being a bad thing.
2. Talladega Nights (2006)
The NASCAR-themed Will Ferrell movie Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby takes the number two spot on this list. After the breakout success of Anchorman, viewers were filled with hope for Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's next co-written comedy. Talladega Nights didn't disappoint. Like Step Brothers, the movie is filled with quotable one-liners that still hold up over a decade later. The movie started Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly's long-standing comedic partnership, as the two hit it off better than Ferrell and Wahlberg. The addition of actors like Sascha Baron Cohen, Jane Lynch, and Gary Cole elevated the film to comedy classic status and promised an illustrious film career for Ferrell.
McKay does some of his best work when his movies either have a satirical political message or a ton of heart. Talladega Nights boasts the latter. Will Ferrell's character Ricky Bobby had a great arc, realizing in the end if he's not first it doesn't necessarily mean he's last. As well, Sascha Baren Cohen's Jean Girard proved a great rival for Ricky Bobby. All of the gut-busting comedy aside, Talladega Nights is actually an effective movie about competition, friendship, family, and redemption.
1. Anchorman (2004)
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is the best film that Adam McKay and Will Ferrell have made together. It's rare that a writer/director duo's first project is their best, but that's how it went for Ferrell and McKay. The movie features an outstanding ensemble cast with Ferrell and Christina Applegate as the two leads. The plot is one that audiences haven't seen before, and McKay delivered when it came to the script and storyline. Though, with comedic forces like Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, and David Koechner it's impossible to know how much of Anchorman was improvised.
As previously stated, Adam McKay does some of his best work when focusing on the political or cultural satire messages in his films. Despite all of Anchorman's ridiculous moments, it's technically a movie about men learning to deal with women's growing autonomy in the working world - with hysterical results. Christina Applegate's Veronica Corningstone provides a great foil to Ferrell's pompous Burgundy. Like Talladega Nights, his character goes through an enjoyable arc and the ending to the movie is a sweet one. With films like these under their belts, it's sad to think that Adam McKay and Will Ferrell's creative partnership has reached an end. Hopefully, the two will work out their differences, because if the world needs anything right now it's laughter.