“Between Two Ferns: The Movie” Movie Review
“Between Two Ferns: The Movie” released on Netflix on Friday. It is stars Zach Galifianakis, capturing his journey of taking his passion into his own hands.
Galifianakis expresses his dream of wanting to surpass his current status of an internet talk show host. The show called “Between Two Ferns” is Galifianakis having awkward, but hysterical conversations with some of Hollywood’s greatest names. Appearances from Keanu Reeves, Chance the Rapper, Hailee Steinfeld, Peter Dinklage, and a few other celebrities take place in the show for comedic effect.
He believes that he is capable of having a television talk show and wants to prove that to his superiors. In this instance, it is Will Ferrell, who is the founder of a company called “Funny or Die.” The movie begins with Galifianakis preparing to interview Matthew McConaughey. There seems to be a leak coming from the ceiling, which leads to a pipe explosion, flooding the whole building the show takes place in. Since Ferrell is his boss, he expresses his disapproval of the whole situation, leaving Galifianakis with no place to film his talk show anymore.
Galifianakis desperately asks for another chance. Ferrell explains to him if he wants to accomplish that, he has to film ten episodes of “Between Two Ferns” in two weeks. Because there is no building to film in, Galifianakis and four of his co-workers have to travel to interview the celebrities. If this task wasn’t completed, Galifianakis would have to look for another dream.
The concept of the movie was comedically contagious. Galifianakis has such a unique sense of humor and it only feels right that he would release a movie like this. The movie was the perfect length for the plot of it because a movie like this can’t be drawn out longer than necessary.
The filming style resembled that of “The Office.” It was all about capturing facial expressions, people’s reactions to each other, and occasional one-on-one time with the camera. It is unusual compared to other filming styles, but that’s what makes the film stand out.
Where the movie fell short was in genuineness. At times, the movie felt like it was working too hard to get laughs. Right when there was a perfect level of comedic tone, it always had to be taken a couple notches up. At these certain points, it seemed to be too much acting and not enough naturalness.
Otherwise, it was a distinctive concept for a Netflix film. It was enjoyable and it will be the perfect movie for Galifianakis fans to watch if there is an appreciate for his humor. Besides having a silly side to it, it has a legitimate message of never giving up on a passion one may have. Galifianakis is faced with multiple hurdles that he has to overcome to be able to achieve his goals and to show others that he takes his work seriously.
Rating: 3/5
Emily Mugno is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, e-mail esm6@psu.edu.
