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The Frat Pack's
Top 5 Hits |
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1. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story $114.3M
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2. Starsky & Hutch $88.2M
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3. Anchorman $85.2M
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4. Old School $75.5M
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5. The Royal Tenenbaums $53.2M
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Now comes
The Wedding Crashers, with the fast-talking
Vaughn and the charming
Owen Wilson delivering one laugh after another as they seek out sexy bridesmaids to bed.
Vaughn and
Wilson feed off each other's comic energy so terrifically that they make
The Wedding Crashers a raunchy riot from start to finish. Factor in an hilarious cameo by
Ferrell and
The Wedding Crashers should draw the same crowds who made
American Pie,
Anchorman and
There's Something About Mary all midsummer sensations.
And we can soon expect
The Wendell Baker Story, directed by and starring
Luke Wilson, with appearances by older brother
Owen and
Ferrell.
So, who benefits the most from swinging with the Frat Pack?
Will Ferrell
Old School spared
Ferrell an eternity of lousy
Saturday Night Live spin-offs. And the sweetness and innocence
Ferrell gave his confused newlywed rubbed off on
Elf's oh-so curious man-child, resulting in a potential holiday staple. Consequently, he's now the most successful ex-
SNLer to make it in Hollywood since
Adam Sandler. But he's more than happy to make time in his busy schedule to cameo in one Frat Pack farce after another.
Ben Stiller
Long before the Frat Pack,
Stiller carved himself a niche as Generation X's comic authority on the pop cultural landscape. Back then he relied on TV cohorts
Janeane Garofalo,
Andy Dick and
Bob Odenkirk to help him poke fun at Hollywood's sacred cows. So it comes as no surprise that
Stiller's now tight with some like-minded funny film folks. A star long before the formation of the Frat Pack,
Stiller can pick and choose whenever he wants to work with his pals. After all, he's just as comfortable yukking it up with
Owen Wilson as he is with
Robert De Niro and
Barbra Streisand.
Vince Vaughn
The cocky and terminally cool
Vaughn owes his return to popularity to the Frat Pack. Hot off
Swingers,
Vaughn hit the jackpot with
The Lost World. Then came nothing but losers, including
Psycho. So he can thank his lucky stars for
Zoolander. Now
Vaughn's so happening he can headline
Old School,
Dodgeball and
The Wedding Crashers while making brief but hysterical scene-stealing contributions to
Be Cool and
Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Next year's
The Break Up marks
Vaughn's first opportunity to score his first hit without the Frat Pack. And he's made a smart move by hooking up--just on film, mind you--with
Stiller's
Along Came Polly object of desire,
Jennifer Aniston.
Luke Wilson
How nondescript is the younger
Wilson brother? He's so bland he's often consigned to playing the love interest to such go-getters as
Reese Witherspoon (
Legally Blonde) and
Cameron Diaz (
Charlie's Angels). But make
Wilson the romantic lead and everything fizzles. Remember
Alex & Emma and
Home Fries? Of course not. And without his Frat Pack pals, this
Wilson's too dull to hang with. Let's hope he makes a better director than a would-be heartthrob.
Owen Wilson
The Frat Packer most likely to make the ladies swoon, this smooth-talking Texan's just as comfortable trading barbs with
Stiller as he is sparring with
Jackie Chan. Has he cornered the market as the go-to action-comedy hero following
Shanghai Noon and
Starsky & Hutch? Not with the dud
I Spy on his resume. He's also not too convincing when trying to save the day with a straight face, as was the case with
Behind Enemy Lines. Luckily,
Wilson's a hoot when he and director
Anderson explore the dark side of the human psyche.
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"We're not that young," Owen Wilson tells Vaughn in The Wedding Crashers. True, but that's part of the Frat Pack's charm. There's nothing funnier than watching these thirtysomethings behave like sex-starved, binge-drinking college seniors. And they've all benefited from their continued association. But if and when the Frat Pack calls it a night, Stiller and Ferrell look set to do the best on their own. Vaughn's blessed with the charisma and confidence to succeed, but he needs to makes better career choices outside of the Frat Pack. Owen Wilson's proven he's at his best when working in tandem with a costar of equal stature. Otherwise he can expect more flops on the scale of The Big Bounce. And stepping behind the camera for The Wendell Baker Story might be the smartest move Luke Wilson could make. But until that fateful day these Frat Packers down their last beer, let the streaking continue! |
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