Movie Info
Movie Name: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Studio: Apatow Productions
Genre(s): Comedy
Release Date(s): July 9, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Suit shopping!!!!
It is the 1970s in San Diego and local news rules. There is no greater news team than the Channel 4 New Team with Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell), reporter Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell), and sports reporter Champion “Champ” Kind (David Koechner). When a new female reporter named Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) is hired, Veronica threatens to break up the news team by romancing Ron. Love quickly turns to hatred and resentment, and all is fair in love and news. Now, Ron Burgundy must find a way to reclaim his title of greatest anchorman…ever!
Directed by Adam McKay and produced by Judd Apatow, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was written by McKay and Ferrell. The movie was rather well received by critics and fared well in the box office. A companion piece of deleted scenes called Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie was released in 2004 on DVD.
Unicorns mean love!
Anchorman is one of those films that has grown even more popular since its release. The often quoted film is has maintained its fun over the years and continues to gain more fans. Despite its cult popularity, the movie is kind of uneven.
I love the concept and development of this movie, but don’t find myself rolling with the jokes in it. The movie is a strange balance between a standard romantic comedy and surreal parody. The straightforward comedy aspect of the film works, but the parody stuff is hit-or-miss. I enjoy some of the craziness, but sometimes it pushes it too far to even be fun or fit in thematically.
Will Ferrell is obviously the star of this film, but he has some great back up…primarily from his back-up news team. Rudd with his sex panther cologne is fun and Koechner as the Ron-obsessed sportsman Champ plays his normal character. Steve Carell was great as the dunce Brick and gave him a breakout role which helped him get his star power in The Office. I’ve always liked Christina Applegate, and once again she’s fun. The film also features smaller roles by Jack Black, Fred Armisen, Tim Robbins, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Seth Rogen, Missi Pyle, Danny Trejo, Fred Willard, Vince Vaughn, and Chris Parnell.
Not many movies where the resolution involves a dog talking to a bear…
With the retro plot, the movie also takes a retro style. The ’70s look is fun and helps make parts like the fantasy animated sex scene memorable. With the throwback styles and looks, there is also a throwback sound with music like “Afternoon Delight” feeding the film. It also helps that veteran anchorman Bill Kurtis provides the narration.
Anchorman is a fun movie despite being unbalanced. It is a good companion piece to other Ferrell films if you want a Will Ferrell weekend. The film’s popularity continues to rise and almost ten years after its release spawned a sequel. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is followed by Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues in 2013.
