Comments on: It's Kind Of A Funny Fern

It's Kind Of A Funny Fern

analogue — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:33:53 -0800

The blue has previously covered Zach Galifianakis' Between Two Ferns, a satirical short talk show highlighting the uncomfortable banter (and silence) that arise between interviewer and interviewee. This week while shooting an interview for the upcoming film It's Kind Of A Funny Story he was treated a bit of his own medicine.

By: delmoi

delmoi — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:42:55 -0800

I was kind of expecting that to suck, but it was actually decent.

By: Philipschall

Philipschall — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:43:18 -0800

I don't know how we was "treated a bit of his own medicine." The people he interviews in between two ferns are DEFINITELY in on the joke, and in some ways they are able to take it to new awkward heights. The Charlize Theron one is a perfect example of that. That being said, the interviewer did a great job.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:50:02 -0800

It wasn't as tense as I was hoping.

By: zardoz

zardoz — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:50:07 -0800

Never heard of Gordon Keith, but he's good. That was funny.

By: Jody Tresidder

Jody Tresidder — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:55:23 -0800

Just my kind of droll! Thank you.

By: 2bucksplus

2bucksplus — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:55:41 -0800

Zach already pretty much got it from Steve Carell and on BTF to boot. This is a great video for both people who love him and people who hate him.

By: jeremias

jeremias — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:57:01 -0800

A Zach Galifianakis post on a Friday morning? Prime target for Mefi link borkage. Video wasn't loading for me, this one did.

By: lagreen

lagreen — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:07:42 -0800

That was so great. Thanks for the post. Does anyone know if Zach understood what was going on, or what he thought about it afterwards?

By: jeanmari

jeanmari — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:12:22 -0800

According to Keith's blog post about the interview, Zach didn't know.

By: fijiwriter

fijiwriter — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:14:26 -0800

MetaFilter: Don't forget to smell Emma.

By: scunning

scunning — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:35:59 -0800

That was great.

By: Menomena

Menomena — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:40:37 -0800

Ditto scunning. Cynical and guarded Zach is not as affable as dumbfounded, naive Zach.

By: jeremias

jeremias — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:43:06 -0800

Does anyone know if Zach understood what was going on, or what he thought about it afterwards? That's what's kinda cool about this, the first question could be interpreted as something a nervous or inexpereinced interviewer might have asked. I don't think it's until the loincloth question that Zach truly figures out the intent. This makes sense because if you've ever been on the periphery of these press junkets you know that any sort of subtlety or irony is extremely rare. Usually, the interviewers are climbing up the ladder of the "entertainment reporting" world, this is a self-selecting group of people who are not typically original thinkers.

By: Dr. Zira

Dr. Zira — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:00:26 -0800

Just FYI: I want a blood feud between MeFi and David Sedaris because it's funny and I think MeFi would win.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:09:45 -0800

His NPR spot was actually fairly low key.

By: chunking express

chunking express — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:10:27 -0800

Nice.

By: opsin

opsin — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:27:10 -0800

Credit to him for (apparently, and it looks most likely) getting Mel Gibson's cameo in the Hangover sequel canceled. Even if I never watch it I'm just glad to know someone isn't going to pay him, let alone possibly help restore his career.

By: eugenen

eugenen — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:31:02 -0800

I'm a little surprised and disappointed Zach wasn't more game to play along once became obvious what was going on. His response to the David Sedaris question (which question I thought was pretty funny) seemed straight-up uncomfortable. Or am I misreading it? I think someone like Steve Carell would have hit this out of the park.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:47:07 -0800

just to be clear, zach gets it pretty quickly, and is playing the straight man perfectly. his "uncomfortable" reactions are the best jokes in the piece. This guy's giving jordan morris a run for his junket money!

By: lagreen

lagreen — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:29:25 -0800

Thanks, Potomac. He does play the straight man well.

By: Greg Nog

Greg Nog — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:51:46 -0800

just to be clear, zach gets it pretty quickly, and is playing the straight man perfectly. I AGREE, GOOD JOB GREEK COMEDIAN, U HAVE DONE OUR PEOPLES PROUD

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:56:17 -0800

Amusing, but could have been better. But my god I forgot just how devastatingly horrific and funny that Charlize Theron one is.

By: kenko

kenko — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:37:39 -0800

The best part of the first question is that Gordon just stops talking in the middle of what sounds as if it should be a sentence that keeps going: all the other films that have been made this year, say. That's surprisingly difficult to do: if you know that the sentence is going to end, it's hard to get the intonation right to suggest that it's going to keep going.

By: milestogo

milestogo — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:46:25 -0800

That really was hilarious.

By: P.o.B.

P.o.B. — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:58:43 -0800

just to be clear, zach gets it pretty quickly, and is playing the straight man perfectly. his "uncomfortable" reactions are the best jokes in the piece. Yeah, I think he's pretty quick on with these types of things. Tig Notaro interview Some of my favorite Galifianakis moments: Ass n' Balls show! Zach can't figure the toilet thing out

By: mhum

mhum — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:06:30 -0800

Ass n' Balls show! Oh man. I'm not the world's biggest improv fan, but that was the most audacious "Yes, and" moments I've ever seen.

By: kliuless

kliuless — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:27:04 -0800

Zach Galifianakis swimsuit calendar

By: chococat

chococat — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 23:45:59 -0800

I don't know. It was funny for the first few moments, then you can sort of feel Zach register, "I see what you're doing here..." and after that it's really not so amusing anymore because it's become all about some local guy trying to get his 3 minutes of funny in before he has to get out of the chair for the next 23 people to sit down in the same chair and ask banal questions about Zach's new movie for their local 3 minute ENTERTAINMENT spot which airs, nightly, just before the heartwarming "And Finally..." segment of the 6 o'clock news.

By: TheBones

TheBones — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:45:28 -0800

I watched this and thought, wow, that's so raven.