My Review of 'Between Two Ferns: The Movie'

I would never have thought that Between Two Ferns would ever get a movie. I've seen the YouTube sketches years back and didn't really think much of it afterwards. I thought it was a huge rip-off of the Martin Short character Jiminy Glick. I'm actually not sure who came up with the idea first, but they are two very similar characters with the same schtick. They're both obnoxious TV personalities that insult celebrities in their interviews.

Zach Galifianakis plays himself in Between Two Ferns. This is obviously a persona that he puts on for this show. It's much like the one Stephen Colbert put on during the Colbert report. They're satirical versions of themselves being idiotic when they interview Hollywood celebrities.

The jokes are actually kind of clever when you think about it. They have to have done some research into some of the jokes because they relate to the celebrity in some way. It could be about their name, their reputation or even their past movies. You have to have a certain sense of humor to get the jokes though. Some of the charm in Zach Galifianakis' character comes from his awkwardness and the sense that he doesn't understand the vile words coming out of his mouth.

This movie is definitely not for everyone. I think some people that love watching people getting roasted will enjoy this movie. Zach Galifianakis has a sort of Charlie Brown feel to his character and some people love that.

For me this movie was a hit and miss. I think that the interviews Zach does with the celebrities kind of really outshine the rest of the movie. The interviews were where they got their shine and it shows. I kind of wish this was more about the interviews than the expedition that they set out to accomplish. It's sort of like the Sasha Baron Cohen movies like Borat and Bruno. They have funny interviews but then it's all lost in some weird expedition movie.

I have a feeling that I would have truly loved this movie when I was a lot younger. If I was still in my early 20s, I think I would have had a ball with this movie. As I get older I find that I have more empathy for people all around me and the humor is kind of lost. I get the humor but it doesn't always hit me. Most of it just feels really mean and painful to watch.

In this day and age, it's hard to watch people just continually suffer even though you know it's fake. I know it's out of fun but comedy becomes wasted on me as I get older and older. The days that I used to understand and love awkward humor are over. I will sometimes go back to older movies that I used to think were really funny and not find them funny anymore. I'm worried about this because I really want to get that light back into my life.

Overall, I would say that I actually liked the end credit blooper interviews more than the rest of the movie. It's good to see that the celebrities involved were in on the jokes. In the actual movie when they don't look like they're in on it, I would say that the interviews can get very cringeworthy. That's not to say people don't like that. I know that there's a ton of people that love awkward humor and this movie has it in spades. As a movie in general I would say that I wouldn't want to watch this movie again, forcing me to give this movie a 4 out of 10.

I can see how this movie can be a love it or hate it kind of movie. I understand why people would love it, but it really isn't my cup of tea.