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Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
Listen To What The Man Said

Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steven Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell
Director: Adam McKay

Reviewed by Chris Ching

This movie will make you laugh your ass off. Film at 11.

Anchorman is the Gone With The Wind of smart silly movies, going well beyond the original Austin Powers for how many times you'll catch yourself laughing out loud in the theatre. After a couple of false starts with Night At The Roxbury and Superstar, Will Ferrell has defied the post Saturday Night Live jinx dictating all alumni movies will suck beyond comprehension. Think Neighbors, My Stepmother Is An Alien, Stuart Saves The Planet, Corky Romano, and virtually the entire Chevy Chase film library.

As Ron Burgundy, a suave, debonair tv faceman with the brain of a 2 X 4, Ferrell rules San Diego news broadcasting circa sometime in the mid1970s. Whereas most movies harking back to the Me Decade turn up the disco glitz, Anchorman resides in the turtleneck cool, bachelor pad lifestyle straight out of the pages of Playboy and Penthouse at their peak. It's the perfect hedonistic world for Ron and his crack (hound) news team to play in. That is until (God forbid!) female journalist Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) joins their close minded fraternity.

At first, Ron and Veronica fall madly in love ("I want to be on you", Ron subtly intones). Even though their lust transports them to a Disney-esque land of pleasure you have to see to believe, the relationship quickly sours when Veronica gets promoted to lead anchor and Ron is fired in disgrace for telling San Diego to go f**k itself. Someone treacherously wrote the offensive remark on Ron's teleprompter, and the poor sod will evidently say everything he reads on it.

It's a horrible pun, but Ferrell - who co-wrote the endlessly quotable script with director McKay - is truly the anchor of Anchorman hurling out inspired non- sequiturs with the finesse of a master comedian. Well, maybe finesse isn't exactly the appropriate word for a guy who gets big laughs in one scene from a massive erection in his pleats. What sets Ferrell's Ron Burgundy apart from other movie morons is the genuine heart he imbues the big lunk; lesser actors would simply rush to slip on as many banana peels as possible. On SNL, Ferrell demonstrated an uncanny ability to perform a variety of roles becoming the cast's key utility player. Anchorman, like Elf before it, shows the guy can clearly bear the weight of a feature film on his shoulders.

And Ferrell isn't the only one who leaves his past in the dust. Christina Applegate finally puts the ghost of Kelly Bundy to rest in the best performance of her career. It's made all the more remarkable since she has to hold her own against the fantastic ensemble work by Ferrell and his fellow news team actors: the musk connoisseur Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), David Koechner as redneck sportscaster Champ Kind, and the idiot man-child/weatherman Brick Tamland (Steven Carell). Guys, PLEASE make another movie together.

Speaking of actors working together again - ever since Old School in 2002, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, and Ben Stiller have cross pollinated in each other's film's through cameos or full out supporting roles. Finally, all five come together in one of Anchorman's funniest scenes. Shades of Planet of the Apes, Spartacus, The Warriors, and West Side Story converge in the greatest anchorman brawl in history. You have been warned.

The secret weapon of Anchorman (Ferrell's woody aside) is the overwhelming sense of fun from scene to scene. I don't mean fun just for the audience of course, but the cast and creators. This movie looks like it was a hoot to make. Just check out the outtakes during the credits when Ferrell and co. screw up their lines because they can't stop from laughing - even throwing in a vintage Smokey And the Bandit outtake to hammer the point home.

Ah, Burt Reynolds, the ultimate narrative device.

Rating:

(4 out of 4 stars)

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