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511 reviews in total

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144 out of 186 people found the following review useful:
This absurd comedy had to convince me...and somehow it did, 23 January 2006

Author: MaxJSteele from United States

When Anchorman came into theaters, I avoided it like a dead sewer rat. When it came onto HBO, I pretended it didn't exist. In fact, I would not have even LOOKED at it had my remote control not stuck on the stupid channel. So I watched a few minutes. I didn't laugh. I wasn't surprised.

Then one day, surfing the premium movie channels, I was thoroughly unimpressed by the offerings. So I turned on Anchorman, about 5 minutes in. For the next hour and a half, I proceeded to laugh hysterically. Scene after scene, line after line, I found new reasons to laugh. By the end, I could hardly breathe.

Unconvinced that I had stumbled upon a a re-watchable movie, I tested and retested it over and over. And over. Result confirmed.

Anchorman tells a simple story: acclaimed (and consequently arrogant) news anchor Ron Burgundy is forced to adapt when an attractive new female member of the Channel 4 news team (Applegate) begins changing the way he and his quirky news team work. That's it. This story is predictable, prescription-esquire, boring. But Anchorman does not draw it's strength from story. It draws from the hilarious situations. It draws from randomness. It draws from brief--but memorable--cameos. It draws from those 100 or so unforgettable one-liners.

That is, if you're looking for cinema, for a fine work of craftsmanship, a eloquent script, and an Oscar nomination, go watch a FILM. If you find randomness hilarious, then watch this MOVIE.

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139 out of 189 people found the following review useful:
The perfected art of being stupid, 9 March 2005

Author: Derek237 from Canada

In a year packed with comedies that were all a bit stupid and silly (and all seemed to feature Ben Stiller), Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy reigns supreme above them all. This is a movie that is well aware of its own stupidity, and best of all, it is able to embrace it skillfully so that it is exactly as silly and immature as it wants to be. It is such a great comedy; I'd consider it the Naked Gun of our generation.

As apposed to many, many, other comedies, Anchorman actually gets better as it moves along. Most of the time a comedy like this will use up all the laughs in the first hour and then try to take a serious, lovey-dovey turn in the last act. There are more laughs in the last half hour than in the first half hour, which usually is never the case. It's as if there was some mathematical comedic formula that spread the laughs out in a way that it was consistently funny. Or, maybe they just got lucky. I dunno.

I loved all the characters in the movie, every role no matter how small had a great moment or two. Will Ferrel of course, the star of the movie who is just perfect as Ron. He's so so funny 'cause he's such a lovable idiot. Even Christina Appelgate, who was in a role that quite honestly anyone could have done, is able to make it her own and provide some laughs. There is a scene that has a lot of cameos that was hilarious as well. It was one of those moments that takes you completely by surprise.

So, what else can I say except that I loved Anchorman! It's the best "stupid" comedy I've seen in years. This is Will Ferrel at his best and it will be hard to top.

My rating: 9/10

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66 out of 99 people found the following review useful:
Funny Anchorman, 13 July 2004

Author: jon.h.ochiai (jochiai@socal.rr.com) from Los Angeles, CA

This summer I've seen several intentionally stupid funny movies, and enjoyed them. Adam McKay's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" is no exception. Seems that my taste for high concept cinema has been influenced by the summer-- well not really. This movie written by McKay and it's star Will Ferrell is an outrageous and completely over the top comedy. Applaud Will Ferrell as the mind bendingly stupid and self absorbed, San Diego newscaster, Ron Burgundy. Will Ferrell is genius in playing Ron straight without character dispersions. Ferrell creates a great deadpan sense with his cohabiting dog, Baxter, and the fact that his character Ron Burgundy will read ANYTHING on the teleprompter, his tragic flaw, well at least one of several, is priceless. Ferrell also never crosses the line of being a complete jerk which is an amazing accomplishment. In fact, Ferrell gives Ron a muted charm-- he really does grow on you.

Basically, "Anchorman" is an extended sitcom. Ron is informed by his station manager, Ed (a funny Fred Willard), that he will have a co-anchor, Veronica Corningstone (a hot Christina Applegate). Turns out that Veronica was a woman whom was immune to Ron's vast charm at a wild news crew party. Veronica is beautiful, ambitious, and smart. She too has aspirations of being a Network Anchor. The Boys Club news crew which include sportscaster Champ Kind (David Koechner), feature story guy Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), and the dumb as a post weatherman Brick Tamland (Steven Carell) all make their play for Veronica. However, she falls for Ron in spite of himself. Ron eventually woos her affections in a totally wacky jazz flute display. The screen writing is so skewed in a good way, and it has absolutely no shame. There is a classic scene with Ron's dog Baxter, and a bridge that according to my bud, John, shatters a fundamental script writing rule. In another memorable scene Ron gives an erroneous translation of the name San Diego to Veronica that is hilarious. "Anchorman" also benefits from cameos of talented actors, most notably Vince Vaughn as Wes Mantooth, the rival station anchor. Christina Applegate looks great, and truly has a talent for comedy.

"Anchorman" is completely over the top, and ignores any boundaries. That really makes it work. "Anchorman" is broad stroke farce done well. Will Ferrell demonstrates great comedic gifts. I want to see what he creates next. For now, "Anchorman" is just great fun, and very funny stuff.

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77 out of 132 people found the following review useful:
It's Summertime: Lighten Up and Laugh Without Guilt: No Thinking Necessary, 9 July 2004

Author: Ralph Michael Stein (riglltesobxs@mailinator.com) from New York, N.Y.

The most devoted cineastes and the average hoi polloi moviegoers both need to kick back and laugh, without probing or analysis, at a goofball, outrageously funny comedy with zero depth. And that's exactly what director Adam McKay (also co-writer with star Will Ferrell) provides in "Anchorman." A very warm summer day, like today, was perfect for the quick gags and physical comedy of this nutty flick. Maybe it's even more of a relief for us folks who are still arguing with each other about "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Control Room," documentaries that make us confront a difficult present and a tenuous future.

Will Ferrell is TV news anchor Ron Burgundy in 1970s San Diego. This is Pre-B.W. (Barbara Walters), a dark age when men reported the news almost exclusively. Burgundy, shallow and self-absorbed without redemption, chases skirts and is so genuinely stupid he reads ANYTHING on the teleprompter. His news crew consists of adulators and one misfit, Brick Tamland, played with unremitting mental blankness by Steve Carrell. Burgundy's dog is a delight, a pooch who can bark in a few languages.

The "Men's Club" is jolted by the station honcho's decision to add a woman to the newsroom, largely to appease the network satraps. He says it's necessary in the interests of "diversity," a word one staff member doesn't even understand. Enter pretty but tough Veronica Corningstone, Christina Applegate. Applegate makes what really is a tough comedic role work completely.

A misadventure by Burgundy results in Veronica's pinch-hitting chance to anchor the evening news. Veronica scores big time. She and Ron are already lovers and she expects him to be thrilled that his absence was her big break. No way and the rest of the film is Ron's Revenge and Veronica's Counterattack.

A subplot is the rivalry between Ron and his crew and the mobile news gatherers of competing stations. This ends in a donnybrook reminiscent of the silent film era having no rhyme or reason. The other stations' combatants are led by Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller and Tim Robbins. Robbins, one of the most intelligent and versatile personalities in film and stage today, should be watched closely. He almost loses his composure acting the zany script. Even Jack Black makes it into the flick as a dedicated junkie.

Don't miss the outtakes as the end credits role, especially Ferrell's last comment on what the movie really is.

Pure summer fun-laugh, be happy.

8/10

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36 out of 55 people found the following review useful:
This movie is good. Hey everyone, come and see how good this movie is., 7 December 2007

Author: belowzero8 from United States

My favorite movie ever. Its Will Ferrel up to his usual shenanigans. I laughed the entire way through this movie, so much that I had to see it a second time to catch all of the jokes. The reason I like it so much, is that its such an easy movie to quote.

If you like low level humor that can be crude at times, this one is for you. Do not expect a super plot or a twist, its a comedy. You will laugh so hard you will get that feeling that you cannot breath.

The movie features comedy all stars like Will Ferrel, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and David Coechner who team up together and make a perfect comedy team in this classic comedy.

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40 out of 64 people found the following review useful:
more a pleasant parody than a biting satire, 3 September 2005

Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

"Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" takes us back to those halcyon days of the 1970's, when the hair was as big as the lapels and women were just beginning to assume their rightful place in America's television newsrooms.

Will Ferrell plays a Ted Baxter-type anchorman (is it mere coincidence that his dog is named Baxter?) - vain, narcissistic, none too gifted in the brains department - who has worked for years as the sole news dispenser at a top-rated San Diego station. All is going well for Ron Burgundy until the station manager decides the newscast needs a bit more "diversity" and hires a female reporter named Veronica Cornerstone (Christina Applegate) to come on board. Cornerstone is a brainy, blow-dried blonde with a driving ambition to be the first female anchor on network news. Since most of the men who work at the station, including Burgundy, are dyed-in-the-wool misogynists, Ms. Cornerstone faces an uphill battle of sexist comments, schoolboy pranks, and subtle (and not so subtle) undermining as she climbs her way to the top (though she is not above pulling a few dirty tricks herself to get what she wants). Things really get dicey when Burgundy and Cornerstone begin dating and quickly fall in love, a situation rife with potential disaster as Cornerstone begins to encroach on Burgundy's professional territory.

"Anchorman" is a light-hearted, enjoyable little comedy that, unlike a full-throated satire (say, like "Network"), often goes for the easy laugh instead of the incisive barb. The movie is at its best when it is parodying the corny graphics and the tendency to over hype the trivial ("Panda Watch: Day 46") that define modern newscasts - and at its worst when it is indulging in silly, often scatological jokes and slapstick throw away bits. Like most mainstream comedies, the humor in "Anchorman" ranges from the mildly funny to the downright hilarious, the latter including a clever "West Side Story" parody involving a rumble between rival news teams, and a conversation between a dog and a bear that ends the movie on a ludicrous but knee-slapping high note.

Ferrell (who co-wrote the film) is his usual manic self, unctuous but likable, and Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Fred Willard do fine work in supporting roles. Moreover, writer/director Adam McKay provides a smattering of guest appearances from such well known stars as Jack Black, Luke Wilson, Tim Robbins, Vince Vaughn, Jerry Stiller and even Ben Stiller, many of who are not listed in the official credits.

"Anchorman" goes down easily - a bit too easily, perhaps, for a film that, with a little more courage, might have become a scathing satire on an industry that could do with a little merciless skewering right about now. Still, "Anchorman" is fun while it lasts - and these days we'll settle for what we can get when it comes to laughs.

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55 out of 98 people found the following review useful:
The bomb.com!, 10 September 2005

Author: ThomasABridgman from United States

As I sit and watch Anchorman for what must be the 1000th time, I can't help but ask myself; WHY? Well, the answer is simple. This movie freaking rocks! It boasts an unbelievable amount of one-liners that I am spouting constantly. It could quite possibly become the most often quoted movie ever. Will Ferrell's over-the-top performance, along with other cast members equally daring acts, makes you wonder how much of the movie was scripted, and how much was ad-lib. All of the characters support each other so well, that it is nearly impossible not to have a favorite line from each one.

I am not a fan of all of Ferrell's movies (especially Kicking and Screaming), but this one will be near the top of my list for years to come, I'm sure.

Because, as we all know, 'Sixty percent of the time, it works every time!'

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25 out of 39 people found the following review useful:
Beauty and the Self-Absorbed Anchorman, 18 July 2005

Author: nycritic

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I came unto this movie only for the scene in the trailer that showed Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) leaping into each other's arms, right on top of a conference table, as Ferrell yelled, "Let's make a baby!" Which is essentially saying I decided to give it a chance out of vague curiosity, not expecting an even remotely good collection of skits straight out of Saturday Night Live. And, I'll say this: I was proved wrong.

The story that THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY tells is simple, but deceptive: while having Ron Burgundy (San Diego's Channel 4's main anchorman) as its main character, it's actually the story of how Veronica Corningstone came unto this TV station and on the way to becoming the first female news anchor confronted massive opposition from her male co-workers who wouldn't even assign her a decent office on her first day of work, much less give her the chance to report the news. That she is quoted as being an ice queen after she aggressively rebukes the sexual advances of Burgundy's clique (recalling in a much lesser way Faye Dunaway's emasculating Diana Christensen) is part of her charm, and it's this charm the reason Burgundy eventually falls for her, and part of what belies her true nature once she decides to climb her own ladder to success.

Applegate is great in her role because she never tries to make her character too harsh even when her own mean streak comes out late in the movie and gets Ron Burgundy fired from the office. While still not having a breakout role, her interpretation has the right element of spunk and humanity, and her chemistry is very palpable with Ferrell whenever they're on camera together which is often. Ferrell, on the other hand, let's loose, but because he's so good, his role doesn't become something that belongs strictly on Saturday Night Live and I think he has the potential to do with his career what Tom Hanks has done with his own which is transcend broad comedy and move into power-acting. His Ron Burgundy is, quite simply, a deluded clown, but a likable one, much like the Ted Baxter was on THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW.

Much credit has to go to the writers who devised the hilarious jokes. The names of the characters alone are exaggerated, as is the scene where the news anchors from rival stations collide in a bloodbath (which features cameos from Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Tim Robbins), and another great moment when Burgundy encounters an angry biker (Jack Black) on his way to work, and who kicks his dog into the bay. We can see the dog is clearly a doll, but the temerity of the scene which recalls a similar scene in THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY stands.

I think the essence of the movie can be summed up in one scene, though: who can recall growing up in the 70s and seeing the credits roll as the news program came to an end and the two anchors were seen chit-chatting amicably? There's a great inter-cutting between what a television (in Any Home, USA) is showing to the open verbal war that both anchors (Applegate and Ferrell) are engaging in. It makes one think of what actually happens once the newscast is over.

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48 out of 85 people found the following review useful:
Insipid, man, 25 January 2005

Author: ellyphunt (ellyphunt@hotmail.com) from baltimore, MD

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I was never as excited about this movie as my boyfriend was, mostly because I chalk Will Ferrell's humor up to the level of fratboy hijinx, sex jokes, and toilet humor. But I was willing to chill on the couch and watch the hour and a half comedy. I liked him okay on SNL, and I was mildly amused my Old School. I thought it would be a nice way to relax on a Monday night.

And relax I did...almost to the point of falling asleep. Not only were the jokes not funny, there were so few of them. Long periods of boring-ness separated the gags, which included, and I still cannot believe this, Will Farrell and Christina Applegate riding around on animated unicorns, Paul Rudd spraying on cologne that contained chunks of raw meat (panther), Luke Wilson getting his arm chopped off (not even worthy of the Monty Python memory it conjures up), and Will Farrell ACTUALLY EATING A PIECE OF FECES.

Have we come to this? Is this what's supposed to make us laugh now? Even the most quotable line from the movie, which the men in my life will not stop repeating, is "you smell like big foot's dick." Even that just isn't funny. (note: watch Napoleon Dynamite if you want some real quotable material.) The only redeeming qualities of the movie are Steven Carell and Jack Black's brief scene with Baxter, the dog. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. "Biker...Punted...Baxter" Save your time and your money on this one. I sure am glad I didn't have to pay to see it...

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68 out of 128 people found the following review useful:
Consistent and thorough silliness keep this above-average comedy afloat, 12 July 2004

Author: byght from Washington, DC

I went to "Anchorman" expecting another super-mainstream, lowest-common-denominator, SNL-derived romp. Now, these aren't the worst movies in the world, to be sure. "Happy Gilmore" and "Old School" are pretty agreeable ways to while away the time. But usually about an hour in to these affairs, I've had enough of the broadness and predictability, which starts to get downright oppressive. It's not just that they're lowbrow--it's that they're so overwhelmingly, disappointingly conventional.

Luckily, this isn't what "Anchorman" is. "Anchorman" is a refreshingly off-kilter outing from an unlikely source--Will Ferrell, the current reigning lord of middle-of-the-road fratboy Sandlerism. The film has a lot more in common with Mel Brooks and Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker than anything in the SNL family tree. It prizes out-and-out silliness and absurdity over bathroom humor and penis jokes (though there's plenty of the latter, don't worry), and pulls it off admirably. In essence, the key to this stuff is never letting off of the goofiness even for a second--the audience should never be allowed to take anything seriously.

"Anchorman" achieves this with exceedingly silly and bizarre dialogue complemented by killer comic performances from Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Vince Vaughn and Steve Carrel. You'd have to be lobotomized to maintain a straight face through lines like "It's made with bits of real panther. So you know it's good." and "I'm riding a big, furry tractor!" The direction and pacing are also pretty solid at times, and the requisite celeb cameos are very nicely done (especially in one particular scene which I wouldn't dream of ruining).

The film's not without its flaws, certainly. Chief among them is the wasting of one of the best comic character actors in the biz: Fred Willard. If ever there was someone born to play a smarmy local TV newsman, Willard is it. But he's inexplicably cast here as a dull station suit, while David Koechner plods through the sportscaster role that was clearly meant for him--passable but certainly not as inspired as Willard would have been. Also, I think that the story would have benefited if Vaughn and his cronies, the closest thing to villains in this lightheaded romp, had a little more face time.

But these are comparatively minor problems--the point is that Ferrel has given us something that's really funny in a way that's appreciably different from the endless SNL movie-mill. It's not Monty Python, but it is a healthy departure from what has become the comic mainstream. Most importantly, the laughs are frequent, long, and deep--check it out and you won't be disappointed.

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