Legendary funny man Will Ferrell and superstar Reese Witherspoon. Two absolute screen icons. But did you know they could sing up a storm too? On Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ “Islands in the Stream” no less! We’re no strangers to Reese’s gorgeous vocals, but fans were particularly impressed to learn that Will can croon like Kenny after hearing their duet, captured for their film You’re Cordially Invited.
Reese took six months of vocal lessons to nail her singing role in Walk the Line, so she naturally took the lead on the “Islands in the Stream” duet. She certainly does a fantastic take on Dolly’s vocals. Will was no slouch either, and he definitely held down the fort on Kenny’s vocal lines. The Music Man has to say Will and Reese’s antics during the performance also made this a memorable duet!
Fan channel Credit Cookies, Trailers & More uploaded Will and Reese’s duet to YouTube, where it hit 527,000 views. Viewers were stoked on the duet, and added comments such as “Oh my gosh, I had no idea that Will Ferrell could sing! That was awesome!” and “I just watched the movie and when the credits rolled this played. I was blown away, this is a fantastic cover!”
For a guy known for his comedy roles, Will Ferrell has a surprising knack for delivering iconic musical performances. Will and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith produced one of the most viral The Tonight Show performances ever with their outlandish drum-off. In the 100 million view segment, the Chili Peppers’ sticksman and Will competed to drop the most bombastic drum solos, with plenty of hilarious banter in between. The whole Chili Peppers band then came out to close the performance on “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”
Will and Reese starred in the leading roles in the romantic comedy You’re Cordially Invited. The film was released on January 30, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that both Will and Reese actually sang on “Islands in the Stream” for the movie. Both stars appear on the duet that plays over the ending credits. Will also performs an additional version in the movie, where he sings a karaoke-style cut during the wedding. Will doesn’t have a whole lot of singing roles, but he’s not a complete stranger to it. The funny man did drop a memorable performance of “Por Ti Volaré” in his film Step Brothers, which he likewise did actually sing himself.