Late World with Zach

In theaters Friday: The Bourne Legacy, The Campaign, Hope Springs
New on DVD/Blu-ray: Blue Like Jazz, The Lorax, Marley

If anyone can make playing dumb look pretty smart, it is Will Ferrell. He’s been a dumb NASCAR driver, a dumb news anchor, a dumb basketball player. And America loves him for it. Playing an unintelligent politician—some would say he’s done that already as “Dubya”—is a logical step for the popular actor in an election year. But I’m even more excited to see the electioneering antics of his inexperienced political rival played by the comically fearless Zach Galifianakis.

I’m going to sound like a complete Monday morning quarterback here, but I was a big fan of the bearded comian long before his breakout turn in 2009’s The Hangover. My admiration stems largely from his short stint as a talk show host—truth!—on VH1—no, still not kidding. For a few side-splitting months in 2002, someone at the music cable channel decided to hand the keys to their first talk show to a virtually unknown, idiosyncratic piano-playing comedian from North Carolina and called it Late World with Zach.

Admittedly, I was dubious too, even as a laughed through entire episodes of awkward interviews and non sequitur laced diatribes. “This guy is hilarious,” I thought. “Who let him have his own show?” My college roommate and I made watching Galifianakis’ show a ritual. We felt like we were in on something that our friends weren’t, in on jokes and perspectives that they weren’t getting from Letterman or Conan or even Jon Stewart.

Of course, the Late World didn’t last, and VH1 cancelled it after 9 weeks.

After a few brief appearances in clunkers like Bubble Boy and Heartbreakers, Galifianakis’ first meaty role came as a scene-stealing slacker in the snowboard comedy Out Cold, which has since grown into a cult classic—in some circles.

What many looking forward to The Campaign might not know is that Galifianakis’ persona in the film is based largely on a character he’s developing for years and used to present as his fictional, effeminate twin brother in sketches and even television interviews. Check out some footage of Galifianakis as Seth back in 2007: