Supreme confidence + extreme incompetence. This relatively
simple formula is in the DNA of an awful lot of comedy, where the humour is
generated from characters who think they are far smarter than they actually
are. It’s a form of stylistic hubris that many comedians owe the bulk of their
legacies to, including the fabled pairing of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.
However, while this is an equation that has yielded much success in the past,
it’s also potentially tricky in the same way that most intentionally dumb
comedies are: There has to be a distinction being a film that knows how stupid
it is, and a film that is just plain stupid. Because much like the characters
that bank on this style, there are few things more laughable than people with
disproportionate egos. Except, of course, when the filmmakers themselves seem
to share that trait.