A Look At Colin Farrell’s Funniest Performances
Colin Farrell has had quite an interesting career. The Irish actor went from auditioning for Boyzone and touring with a group of line-dancers to doing war and crime movies before taking on epics and playing Alexander the Great. But it was only when Farrell did In Bruges in 2008 that it became clear to everyone that he could totally do funny. His strange and unique brand of foolish seriousness has made him distinct from his contemporaries, and the way he can look at a person with hardly any expression on his face and only use his voice to convey those strong emotions is what makes him so memorably funny.
Here are some of the best comedic performances by the Irish jester who just wanted to sing in a boy band…
Seven Psychopaths
Sure, in many ways Sam Rockwell stole this movie — that is, when Christopher Walken wasn’t in it — but Farrell did exactly what he was supposed to here: Play the main protagonist who finds himself surrounded by the most colorful people who get him into the most bizarre of situations. His own questionable choices, however, are played for laughs, and he helps carry the humor in this satire that has heaps of it.
It's also pretty fun watching Farrell completely freak out:
Fright Night
While this comedy horror remake doesn’t see Farrell portraying the funny guy, there’s just an inherent hilarity at seeing him play a vampire. It also helps that he’s clearly not taking the gig too seriously. How could one, while wearing plastic Dracula fangs courtesy of some Spirit Halloween store?
Scrubs
Remember when Farrell was on the most accurate medical show in the history of medical shows that isn’t House? Yeah, he got to play yet another Irish drunk because stereotypes are forever, but he is genuinely funny at it, so there’s that. Oh, and all that Irish swag helps, of course.
The Lobster
This 2015 black comedy is ranked up there with the best of the best movies where humans have the misfortune of being turned into animals. The Lobster features Farrell’s character David, a single man who has limited time to find the perfect partner lest he magically turns into an animal of his choice. Isn’t movie logic great? David, of course, chooses a lobster — probably because the marine crustacean has as little self-expression as David has himself. Farrell banks on his stoic style of acting here, and it’s a total home run.
The Gentlemen
Not only did this Guy Ritchie action comedy of 2019 deserve more attention, but a lot of people who missed out on this English romp peppered with Ritchie’s favorite word also missed out on one of Farrell’s most interesting characters to date — even though it’s basically Farrell with a hat. His supporting role is that of Coach, an MMA trainer who has to deal with his young fighters getting themselves into trouble by stealing weed from a drug lord. The movie is wild, and so is Farrell’s character who delivers a hysterical pronunciation and a running gag of the name “Phuc.”
The Banshees of Inisherin
Okay, so we haven’t yet seen this movie, but the fact that Farrell is already getting award-season buzz over his performance in this movie about friendship and donkeys makes it critical that we include it here. Also, trailers exist, and Farrell is a riot in it — especially the part where he corrects Brendon Gleeson’s character on the type of animal shite he was actually talking to him about.
For any In Bruges fan, it’s wonderful to see Farrell and Gleeson reunite on screen and do their Irish thing. Also, Farrell and this donkey is a treat. Listen to him talk about filming with animals and giving filmmakers some sage advice while he's at it:
Horrible Bosses
He’s incredibly inappropriate, he’s extremely unhinged and he’s one of the funniest villains we’ve seen in a 21st century comedy that is not played by Jillian Bell. Most folks were pleasantly surprised seeing Farrell like this when Horrible Bosses first dropped in 2011, because we’d just never seen the man get so comically physical with a role before. That hair, that middle-age midriff, that forehead. It’s perfect. No notes.
In Bruges
There is no doubt that Farrell is really good (and funny) at playing inappropriate characters. This might be why he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for those of us who enjoy that northern humor, Farrell delivers, and his foolishness manages to make his characters enduring — even if they are the absolute worst.
Also, who doesn’t love an Irish accent? The thought of it is simply preposterous.
