Six Guys Who’ve Managed To Stay Funny After More than a Decade

Last month you guys may have read my article on actors that don’t do funny movies anymore.  Well at least I don’t think the new stuff they do are all that funny.  I argued that it’s tough to stand the test of time on being humorous.  Life changes.  People become parents.  They deal with stuff outside of their careers that may change them.

But some people stick it out.  Some people remain funny and evolve with the time.  They manage to stay relevant in a comedic way and honestly that’s a very very tough thing to do.

And here are six guys I happen to think are still funny even after the 10 year career mark…..

Bill Murray


Murray has been around since the 70s for Christ’s sake.  Talk about a guy who has evolved.  At first he was on SNL, and then went on to make classics like like Caddyshack and Stripes.  But even when all the dust settled from the 80s Murray hung around.  And 20 years later the guy’s making Lost in Translation which ruled, and now he’s just this funny white haired guy who plays golf.  And that’s fine by me.

Will Ferrell


I think as long as Will Ferrell yells in a movie I’m going to laugh.  I happen to think Anchorman sucked but for the most part I think Ferrell is awesome.  I also think that Step Brothers might be in my top 10 comedies of all time.  Ferrell’s been around longer than you think.  He started on SNL in 1995 so the man has a track record and honestly I don’t think he’s slowing down.

Tracy Morgan


Morgan kind of had a hiatus between SNL and 30 Rock but talk about a comeback.  He’s definitely one of the top tier funny men out there right now.

Ben Stiller


Stiller is one of those guys that’s been around for a much longer time than you’d think.    His first credit was back in 1986 on Kate and Allie!  That’s almost 25 years.  Sure he does more kid oriented stuff but Stiller still has it in my opinion.    And if there’s a Zoolander sequel I’m in.

Vince Vaughn


It’s been a long time since Swingers (1996).   I’m pretty sure Vince Vaughn could be mistaken for someone who looks like he’s at least 60 today but it won’t stop him from being that dry comedic dude that people like.  So far I haven’t tired of Vaughn and I doubt I will any time soon.

Christopher Walken


He’s not your typical comedic actor but has Christopher Walken ever NOT been funny?

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19 Comments

  1. Vince Vaughan, Ben Stiller, two once funny actors, who make one film with the career-ruiner (the break-up/Along came Polly) and they haven’t been funny since.

    Not sure if Will Ferrel’s done a movie with her, but his careers shot down hill ever since Elf (step brothers is saved by the normally unfunny John C Reilly).

    I’m surprised these actors even appear on your list.

    Bill Murray on the other hand, that man stole Zombieland.

    And i don’t think there’s a film Christopher Walken hasn’t stolen, he even managed to be funny in that horrifying Barbara Streisand/Nicole Kidman/Ferris Bueller monstrosity.

    Here in Aus we barely see Tracy, which is a damn shame.

    I’m pretty much of the belief that noone can be funny forever . . . Even Eddie Murphy used to be the funniest man alive.

  2. The whole exchange about lions and tuna or whatever in the beginning of The Other Guys was glorious.
    Walken’s the only reason I saw Balls of Fury. What a hot mess that was.
    I’m iffy on Vince Vaughn, he’s okay in some of his flicks but I’m not convinced he’s stayed funny his whole career.

  3. Will Ferrell was only funny to me in “Old School”, although I found Vaughn funnier in that. I’ve watched Talledega Nights twice and didn’t find it funny at all. Same for Stepbrothers. Saw bits of Semi-pro and also found nothing funny. Needless to say I won’t be see Anchorman or any other movies of his.

    As for Ben Stiller, if he isn’t his character in “Heavyweights” (Dodgeball), he’s the same character from “Something About Mary”. Every. Single. Time.

  4. Speaking of Zombieland, you HAVE to include Woody on this list. He flies under the radar all the time, but since Cheers the man has gone on to some pretty solid film roles. Sure, some of them are dramatic (which is a testament to how good an actor he is), but from his team-ups with Wesley Snipes through Kingpin and Zombieland, the man is seriously funny!

    Give it another year or two, and you can throw Will Arnett on the list too.

  5. The burn-out rate of comedians must be the highest of all actors (I don’t count porn stars); I imagine they feel more pressure to contribute to each comedic role they decide to take than your normal drama actor.

  6. Why does anyone find Will Ferrell funny? But I take it as a personal insult that you didnt mention Billy Crystal. The guy doesnt do much anymore, but c’mon, if you enter Bill Murray, why not?

  7. I can only agree with maybe two of these. I don’t know many people who find Will Ferrell funny save for one or two movies. I didn’t laugh once in The Other Guys (and I like my stupidfunny as much as my cleverfunny), and even his GW Bush act which I used to like is a beaten dead horse.

    And Ben Stiller is NOT funny anymore. I mean, does there really need to be another Fockers movie?

    Tell me how Tracy Morgan be “still funny” if he was never that funny in the first place? He just says things weirdly, like he’s trying to convince us he’s funny without actually being funny. His voice makes me want to punch him in the face, and I know lots of people who refuse to give 30 Rock a chance because of him.

    Big ups on Bill Murray and Christopher Walken, though, but where is Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert? Conan O’Brien? Alec Baldwin? Hell, Henry Winkler? BETTY WHITE?!

  8. Vince vaughn is a horrible person. I hate him. I watched wedding crashers. Worst movie ever. Even Walken wasn’t funny in that.

    Blades of glory has one of the most shockingly terrible moments in cinema history. I think about that head coming off almost everyday. and Its years since I saw that movie. I watched anti christ and that doesn’t compare to Blades (of gory).

    Also you know what’s really funny? MST3K. Write a freaking post about MST3K.

  9. Cadet I couldn’t agree with you more. Tracy Morgan is anti-funny. He was never in one funny SNL sketch. He has zero comedic timing. He’ll tell the same joke on different talk shows but screw it up every time. How is it that he’s employed as an actor? And you are correct, I’ll never watch 30 Rock because he’s on it.

  10. Yes to steve martin and Alec baldwin is an underated comedian. Woody should definitley be on the list. Can I get some love for Anthony Anderson, he may not get the best roles but the dude has been hilarious in every movie. Do trey parker and matt stone count? they are voice actors. I”m not a huge fan but Owen Wilson?

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